Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Into the Void
by QuilSniv
Summary: A war is raging. Most Pokemon don't even realize it's happening. The tides turn when a memory dead human- turned-Cyndaquil teams up with a experience hardened Snivy to join a resistance against the Beholder, an unidentified Pokemon who rules with an iron fist.
1. Prolouge: A Burning Hope

Prolouge: A Burning Hope

Welcome to the world of Pokemon. Here you will find a realm of mystical and powerful creatures known as Pokemon. You have been chose to undertake a great journey. However, you must be made a true Pokemon before completing this endeavor. Answer these questions wisely and truthfully, as the personality of a Pokemon can be turbulent as the sea under a Lugia's rule, as shallow as a Gengar's heart, or shocking as a Raichu's electricity. Are you ready to answer my question.

**Um... Y-yeah, I guess. Fire away.**

What would you do if you saw your friend being bullied?

**I would stand up for him. We've never given up on each other, even through the most depressing moments.**

Have you ever told a lie?

**Yes. But only to help the weak. Never for personal gain.**

Do you value your friends in any way, shape or form?

**I value my friends like a thief and treasure. I never want them to leave my side, no matter what the circumstance.**

I see... do your friends care about you the same way?

**Pretty much. We've gotten into so much trouble, but we never rat the other out.**

Do you ever have trouble motivating yourself?

**No, I never need anybody to push me around. Unless I'm trying something new, I can handle myself in most situations.**

Interesting... Do you wish you could change certain events? For the good of others and yourself?

**Yes. I would do anything to make things better. One thing I can't stand is for others to be miserable.**

Last question: Are you shy?

**No, I'm kind of a people person.**

Alright. Do you seem more shy around other people?

**Yes, especially around new faces. I wish I could change that.**

* * *

Excellent. I have made my final judgement. But before I do it, your soul's aura must be confirmed before I make a rash decision. Let me probe at your mind... relax, I won't hurt you. Let your soul ooze out.

It is done. Your soul's color is... orange.

**Orange?**

Yes, but is a special orange. This orange is like a magical fire, one that can never be put out in the most dire of cataclysms. It is blazing, itching for peace and justice.

As for you, I have examined your answers, and I can see what kind of person you are. It seems that you are the viral type.

**Viral? What do you mean?**

You enjoy to infect the system around you to adapt to your own means. Yet, despite your ability to meet your own specifications, you have your own flaws. You and your friend have a difficult time telling the truth, which is the start and end of wars.

Your fiery instinct burns like... a Cyndaquil.

Now, one last thing. You must pick a partner. Nothing, and but nothing, will keep you apart. Choose wisely, as this person will never leave your side. He or she will be your comrade, your savior in the sea of fate, and most importantly, your friend.

…

Interesting choice. So be it. It is now time to enter the world of Pokemon. I now have to erase your memory of this conversation. You will not remember me, your previous life, or anything before this. All you remember is your name. Begin a new life, my friend.

QuilSniv presents

...

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Into the Void


	2. Chapter 1: Identity Crisis

Chapter 1: Identity Crisis

If there was any sound other than the Scizor and Grovyle rustling in the tall grass of Crystal Forest, then it was really hard to hear. The forest was dead silent, nothing making any noise. Any noise that was made, however, was echoed in the nearby mountains. The Grovyle sighed, standing up and dusting himself off while the Scizor used his wings to propel himself onto his feet.

"I don't see why we're here, Scyzor," the Grovyle muttered, skeptical of their purpose, "We used up all of our supplies, and we need to get back to base."

"I need to talk to you, Slash," Scyzor whispered, leading Slash, confused as heck, into a clearing where they could visibly see each other.

"So, remind me again why we're here, in Crystal Forest of all places I can imagine," Slash sarcastically remarked, but Scyzor glared at him, his head turned to his back. Slash froze, as this was the look Scyzor always gave him when they were meaning business.

"You're the only Pokemon I can trust to talk to about this matter," the Scizor mutters, turning towards the sky, "I heard the Dimensional Scream last night."

Slash froze in shock, then pondered. "If you heard some kind of subconscious call, how do you know that it was exactly the Dimensional Scream?" Scyzor, clearly fed up with Slash's questioning, turned around and spoke softly.

"You know it isn't that hard to forget, even after half a century." Sighing, Slash followed his partner into the thickening brush.

* * *

Meanwhile, a Snivy, young and healthy, darted his way through the trees. Every branch in his way he jumped over, determined to run from something. Night was approaching fast, hoping to snag him on a branch. As the sun fell, stars were the only thing providing luminance in the pitch-black sky. The Snivy lost control of his prowess. Tripping on a rogue branch, he fell out of his current tree and slid on the grass.

"Ugh," Snivy groaned, dusting himself off. "They can't make me go. They'll have to ask Arceus to find me." Looking up, a Noctowl flew past, tracing the path of the stars.

"Good Mew!" The Snivy shouted, racing into the forest. The hope of escaping the horrors of Crystal Forest was almost dashed. Fog began to settle in his path, obscuring his vision.

"I need to get to the cave," the Snivy muttered, speaking about his private clubhouse that he and only he knew about, save for a Nidorino he was friends with years ago. "Otherwise, the patrols will come out. Not just any patrol... them."

Every Pokemon in the area knew that at night, save ones with a full moon, battalions of spirits haunted the entire region of Rastere, also known as NightCrawlers. Nobody knew what the NightCrawlers really were, but every Pokemon in Rastere knew one thing: They aren't sentient. And if they're insentient, they're dangerous. But NightCrawlers set the standards for insentient Pokemon years ago, when the Beholder took control of the region from his fortress.

The Snivy looked at a larg boulder next to a cave, smirking, knowing that he had reached his destination. He and only he knew about this cave, at least within fifty miles.

"Sniv, you are a genius," the Snivy, or "Sniv", muttered as he walked into the cave and closed the boulder behind him. Activating a Wailord blubber lamp, Sniv curled up and was about to fall asleep when he noticed something. The lamp was only supposed to light up halp of the one room, but another light, too small to be a wildfire, was emanating from the next part of the cave. Sniv, suspicious that somebody had found their way in, creeped into the next room.

What awaited him sparked the adventure that would span for months on end. A Cyndaquil, one not older than fifteen, lay unconscious at Sniv's feet. Sniv was speechless, as Cyndaquil was thought to have been extinct for fifty years. Conveniently the same year number that the Dimensional Scream was last heard.

"Hey," Sniv muttered, patting the Cyndaquil across each side of it's face. "You still there, man?" The Cyndaquil, without opening it's tight;y shut eyes, stirred back into reality. Sniv could tell by it's battered jacket, gray shirt and jeans that it wasn't an ordinary Cyndaquil. This one had either seen a heavy amount of combat or was a weary traveler. Sniv, ready to interrogate, held his tail leaf to the Cyndaquil's neck, the leaf's tip glowing a faint green.

"Who are you?!" Sniv growled, the Cyndaquil dazed and too confused to even stammer. "How did you find my cave?!"

"I-I-I don't know," the Cyndaquil murmured, rubbing his head and wincing. The leaf dug deeper into the furry hide of his neck.

"I can't hurt you," Sniv said, pulling his glowing leaf from the Cyndaquil's neck, "You must have gotten attacked by a couple of NightCrawlers. Let me see of I have any Oran Berries. If those dead-beat Rattata haven't taken the yet."

Sniv walked over to the provisions chest and popped the lid. The bleak void of the chest bottom glared back at him. Sighing and closing the chest, Sniv found an Oran Berry laying on the ground and picked it up.

"Here," Sniv said, handing the Oran Berry to the Cyndaquil, "This'll make you feel better for a while, until we can get you some help."

"Thanks," said the Cyndaquil, taking a large bite out of the savory berry, "but how can a Snivy talk? Snivy are a species of Pokemon."

"Look who's talking, Mr. Cyndaquil." Sniv turned away to check on his lamp. "And that's Sniv to you."

"But... I can't be a Cyndaquil. I'm a human."

"A human?" Sniv, confused as heck, showed Cyndaquil a small underwater spring. "You look a normal Cyndaquil to me. Take a look in the water, and see for yourself." Obeying Sniv's orders, the Cyndaquil looked at it's reflection and gasped.

"I-It's true!" the Cyndaquil stammered, shocked at his own appearance, "I've turned into a Cyndaquil! But... how?"

"I think," Sniv said, rolling his neck and sitting down, "That you need a name. You can't remember that too, I'm guessing?" The Cyndaquil thought for a moment, then shrugged.

"Hmmm..." Sniv thought for exactly two seconds before snapping two fingers. "Aha! How about Quil? Usually, to be polite, we use a syllable of a species name, unless they have a nickname. Quil would be a more sensible name, since Cynda wouldn't be very good sounding."

"Sounds close enough to me. Until we find out my old name, the identification's Quil." The newly rechristened Quil stretched, then sighed, taking a drink out of the spring. "I just wish I knew something about my old self. It would be nice to have a piece of my past with me." Quil paused for a second, hearing an invisible sound, then froze. "Somebody's coming." Sniv, shocked at Quil's statement, opened the boulder to the smallest crack possible to see through. The grass, sure enough, was rustling as two unidentifiable Pokemon slithered through the grass toward their quarry.

"There's something in there!" One of them growled.

"You're wasting your time, man!" the other muttered.

"Oh, man!" Sniv closed up the boulder and grabbed the lantern, gesturing to Quil to follow him. "The Beholder's soldiers have found us! We have to get out of here!"

"But to where?!" Quil bluntly questioned, chasing after Sniv.

"I have an emergency exit." Sniv looked uneasy about his decision as he opened a boulder on the opposite side. Immediately exiting, a ripple encased Quil, pulling him through the barrier. Through the barrier, he turned to Sniv, exasperated.

"What in Arceus was _that_?!" Quil panted from the mental stress, as Sniv held up the lantern, looking Quil right in the eye. His gaze unrelenting, he sighed, helping Quil up.

"Welcome to a Mystery Dungeon, Quil."

* * *

A/N: I have been receiving emails lately about this may be similar to Silver Resistance. Like I said before, the beginning will have a resemblance to PMD: SR, but after the next few chapters, the plot will completely splinter away from SR, other than the fact that somebody joins their team.

Edit: The next chapter will be called The Chaos Complex, named after a soundtrack from Tron: Evolution.


	3. Chapter 2: The Chaos Complex

Pre- chapter note: I said in A/N last week that I had said that this would bear similarity to Silver Resistance. Though it didn't say so, I want you to know that it will bear similarity until Chapter 5, then branch away. Sorry for the confusion. In exchange, hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

Chapter 2: The Chaos Complex

"What's a?..." Quil, still confused by the gel barrier, was too flabbergasted to even finish his sentence.

"Mystery dungeons?" Sniv turned and held his hands out. "This is a Mystery Dungeon. It's a spatial warp that overlays our dimension. There are exits, but they're pretty hard to find. There are either sectors of a forest, like this one, or there are floors in cave dungeons."

"You sure know a lot about these places." Quil, fazed by his surroundings, took a closer look. The place looked demented, with all of the plants glowing in the dark, everything in odd shapes.

Sniv looked unsure of whether to take the credit or not. After several seconds of waiting, he finally spoke."Years ago, I met a bodybuilder Heracross who knew this place like the back of her hand. She first showed me the cave, then showed this place. That's how I know so much about the Mystery Dungeon, which is beyond the first clearing. We have no supplies, so we're going to have to rely on the resources available."

"What happens when we don't find our supplies?" Quil looks unsure about Sniv's idea.

"Then we slowly starve to death until we find our way out." Sniv grabs a branch and holds out a vine, Quil clinging to it as they walked towards their inevitable future.

* * *

"There's nothing here, but a chest with nothing in it!" Scyzor and Slash and torn apart the cave that had once held Quil and Sniv.

"Hold on a second," Scyzor muttered as he pulled back the boulder leading outside in the opposite direction. Walking through, he and Slash were engulfed by a ripple in the dimension.

"So," Slash deducted, "They've tried to pull us through a Mystery Dungeon. Clever kids. Shall we follow?"

"We can't risk them being spies for the Beholder," Scyzor muttered, "You can answer that question for yourself."

* * *

**Crystal Forest Sector 1**

"So what exactly are we running from?" Quil, bringing up the subject of the fleeing, has Sniv throw his branch away and bite his tongue.

"Those are the Beholder's soldiers. They do whatever he says. Unconditionally, too. They can't be bribed, seduced, or blackmailed into revealing his secrets."

"And who is this Beholder?"

"You have a lot of questions, don't you?" Sniv managed to contain a large smile, burt quickly lost control of his emotions.

Quil shrugged sheepishly. "No, just curious. But can you answer the old question?"

"The Beholder rules Rastere with this really tight grip. Every corner and everything in it is under his control. Fortunately, he doesn't regard anything that has to do with sentient Pokemon a threat, so his soldiers basically have an all clear to do what they feel is right."

"So this is like law enforcement..." Quil had to admit, the system was flawed, but efficient. "In the human world, there's a law enforcement that helps people in need of assistance. Did.. did you do something bad, Sniv? Is that why you're running?"

Sniv glared at him, offended by his statement. "No! Not in the least! The Beholder and his troops are the bad guys! I'm not a criminal... at least not to the citizens of Rapple Town. You see... four members of the platoon stationed in Rapple Town, which is where I live, beat up a Furret for kicks. I stood up to them, and they ran like rats. Next morning, a Houndoom comes and tells me and my family I have a week to pack before I ship out to the army. They're going to 'rectify' my personality, in other words twist my mind into thinking that they're the good guys. Which I'll never believe. The worst part is... my family isn't going to help me. I know they don't want to get into trouble with the Beholder's forces, but come on!"

"This... is worse than you first made it out to be." Quil crossed his paws and paused to think. "So what do we do now? Run, run... and survive?"

"No." Sniv's response was stoic. Full of determination. Something Quil couldn't muster to show at the moment."We work together to survive. If you help me escape the soldiers, I'll teach you how to survive as a Pokemon. Deal?"

"Gimme a sec to think about this..." Quil seemed crushed about the choice he was supposed to make. '_Hm. Do I really want to do this? I really like being a Cyndaquil... but, then again, it would be back to go back to normal. But it seems I can't do that at will, and I'm pretty much stuck in the middle of a war. So I really have no choice. Who knows, it may be fun.' _Quil stuck out a hand and prepared to seal the deal. "You've got it, partner."

Unpredictably, Sniv hugged his new companion, giddy beyond comprehension. "Oh, man, oh man! I'm friends with a human! This is something I thought only the luckiest get! But it's happening to me!" This is probably one of the luckiest things ever! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Okay, okay..." Quil smirked, helping Sniv back onto his feet. "Now how do we get out of here?"

"We have to find the stairs to the next floor." Sniv's lantern barely lit up the haunted realm that surrounded them. "However, wild Carnivine live in this dungeon, I believe. They hide in the ground, like a Trapinch trap. And they will attack without hesitation."

"So- YYAAAAAAAHHH!" Quil yelled as a Carnivine's Vine Whip threw him into the air. Quil, raged about being constricted, let loose a blast of fire that scorched the Carnivine, which screeched in pain. The Carnivine retaliated by slamming Quil into the ground multiple times, hoping to weaken his skin enough to swallow him whole.

"SNIVVV! HEEEEEEELP!" Quil screamed as the Carnivine lashed out, trying to bite him. Sniv, shocked from the chaos, looked around frantically for a way to beat the wild Pokemon, as his grass- type attacks would be less effective than Quil's fire, which wasn't even strong in the first place. Turning to the right, he saw a small seed that had the words 'Danger: Highly Explosive'. Sniv picked up the seed and threw it into the Carnivine's mouth. An explosion resounded from the Plant Pokemon as it's body slumped to the ground, not moving at all.

Quil's body hit the ground with a thump, the vines slackening it's grip. Quil unraveled it's body and threw the vines back at the unconscious Carnivine. and Sniv joined him as Quil whispered, "Is it... is it... you know... dead?"

"Relax," Sniv said, "It's far from dead, just unconcious. Takes a lot more than that to get close to killing a Pokemon. Come on, let's keep moving. Those soldiers will be catching up soon." Sniv walked into a passage that barely fit their size. Quil remembered that they were in a Mystery Dungeon, and that rooms would be connected by tunnels.

"Look, there it is!" Sniv excitedly pointed to a staircase that led to the skies. "We found it! The Stairs to the next floor! Come on! Let's go!"

**Crystal Forest, Sector 2**

The second Quil put his foot on the staircase top, the forest looked as demented as it did the first sector: trees twisted and overgrown, with thorns unnaturally sticking out of the wild vines. Shards of faintly glowing crystal hung in the air, providing little luminance to the pitch dark for the two explorers.

"By the way," Quil said, Sniv flinching at the sudden conversation, "What did you do to make that Carnivine faint? I remember the entire weakness web, and grass types aren't very effective against each other."

"I didn't really attack, I threw a Blast Seed into its mouth." Sniv held up what was left of the explosive seed. "They're highly explosive, deadly enough to send a Pokemon to a hospital in critical condition."

Quil shivered at the thought of being blasted by an explosive at point blank. "Sounds dangerous."

"And it is. If you even drop one, you're toast." Sniv looked around for the staircase, then saw it, a beacon tempting them from a distance. "Come on, we're almost there! It's just around this corner!"

Quil, questioning Sniv's judgement, slowly followed his partner through the thickening forest, until Sniv hunched over in pain.

"You alright?" Quil asked the tormented Sniv, until he began to hunch over too. His stomach was twisted, hungry and ravaged from the earlier trip through amnesia lane.

" I'm fine, but we're just suffering from hunger," Sniv explained between winces. "This isn't just a dimensional anomaly, it's also a temporal anomaly. It'll heal us faster after a battle, but it will also drain our stomachs faster. Once we get up these staircases, we should be able to find a snack of an apple or something."

"You were right about one thing though," Quil said, pointing to the staircase, conveniently in front of them, "We may make it alive after all."

**Crystal Forest S3**

"This should be the last sector of Crystal Forest." Sniv held a hand to the side of a pained Quil, who was getting dizzier and dizzier from hunger. "With any luck, only a couple of rabid Zubat will attack. You have any more firepower?" Quil attempted to shoot a ball of embers, but only managed to emit a large cloud of smoke.

"Nope. I think I'm all out." Quil looked at his thinning body and looked up. "You think it's from hunger?"

"Most likely," Sniv said, on the lookout for anymore Canivine traps, assisting Quil by pulling his left paw over Sniv's shoulder.

Quil, still weak from hunger, pointed his paw at a Rattata next to a pile of Oran Berries. "Ll-look, Sniv. F-f-food!"

"Holy..." Sniv looked at the massive pile of Oran Berries. "So that's where those Rattata took all of my food. That could feed us both to full health and fill our bellies! Quil, I'll distract the Rattata, you get the Oran Berries." At once, Quil darted into the brush, Sniv hitting the Rattata with his vines. Using his tail leaf, he sliced two red marks into the white belly fur of the two rats. Once incapacitated, the rrats scurried away inton the night, Quil picking up an Oran Berry and shoving it into his mouth. Sniv joined in, picking up a Persim Berry and instantly eating it.

"Now this is what a feast should be called!" Sniv toasted as the two picked up what was left and shoved it into the burlap sack Sniv had hoisted onto his back.

"Rejuvenated and ready to go." Quil picked up another sack, and weighed it onto his back.

"All right!" Sniv said, "I can see the end of the dungeon!" The two raced towards the exit, but a faint buzzing noise, sharp as a knife, cut them off course.

"Oh, no..." Sniv muttered unclear words as a swarm of fifteen Beedrill lowered themselves into attack formation.

"Quil," Sniv said,moving his hands into a fighting stance, "Get ready to fight." Quil complied by issuing a blast of fire from his back, a sign known to all Pokemon- _Back off, or it's on_. The Beedrill, not caring about their fate, zoomed in, only to be burnt to a crisp by Quil's Flamethrower. Sniv, while his grass attacks were not effective against bugs, used his full body power to ram headfirst into the Beedrill, knocking what wasn't engulfed in flames to the ground.

"Taste flames, bug brain!" Quil shouted, burning more Beedrill coming in at point blank.

"Quil! There are too many of them!" Sniv knew his limits, and ths was pushing it in a full-out tug-of-war. "We need to get out of here! The exit prevents the insentient from chasing us any farther!" Blasting another bug, Quil and Sniv bolted before any more Beedrill could chase them. Realizing that their prey was escaping, the Beedrill doubled their efforts, flying twice their normal speed.

"Sniv," Quil commanded, with Sniv surprised at the determination in his voice. With the exit more than 250 yards away, it was going to be impossible to escape alive. "Grab on. This may be a little bumpy." Sniv did as he was told. Quil turned backwards, shooting flames as a propellor and a weapon, shooting them out of the dungeon, adding on the effect of knocking out any Beedrill nearby.

Quil stopped his fire just outside the dungeon, him and Sniv skidding several feet to stop at the base of a pine tree.

Panting, Sniv stood up, then tackled his newfound friend with glee. Quil had to breath several times, before he turned blue from air loss.

"This is amazing, Quil!" Sniv cheered, "We just cleared a mystery dungeon all by ourselves! We're free!"

"I'm afraid not." A voice rung through the air as a Scizor and a Grovyle jumped out of a tree nearby, the Scizor holding it's pincer to Quil's neck.

"You two are coming with us. Now."

* * *

A/N: So I've finally made an update schedule that I'm going to try to stick with: Every sunday of each week, if I can reach that goal. The chapters will get longer as the story progresses, though, so I may push back a little. I'm going to visit my grandparents for a week, so I posted this chapter early. Chapter 3 will be named "In the Hands of the Fighters", or something along those lines.

A/N (Again!): So I'm running low on ideas for characters. Any people with ideas are welcome to post the ideas in the reviews section. I would appreciate it a lot.


	4. Chapter 3: The Quil Codex

Chapter 3: The Quil Codex

Sniv, recruit of the Beholder, sighed as handcuffs were tightened around his hands. Quil was exasperated to see his best friend go through a grueling Mystery Dungeon in vain, and be taken to the very thing he had been running from.

"What do you even need with us?" Quil was needing answers, and immediately.

"It is none of your concern," the Scizor muttered, fastening Sniv's cuffs tighter. "We will tell you what you are doing with us when we deem it necessary. For now... you're a curious specimen. Grovyle and I haven't seen a Cyndaquil in as long as we've lived. They're supposed to be extinct. They've been that way for fifty years."

"If it's me you want, then why are you taking both of us?!" Quil shouted, pushing his nose into the Scizor's face, "Let the Snivy go!"

"Cut them a bit of slack, Scyzor," the Grovyle jeered, tying Quil's hand behind his back. "They at least deserve to know our names. My name is Slatinash, though my friends just tend to call me Slash. This is Scyzor, my partner."

"That's enough to tell them, Slash," Scyzor growled, pushing Sniv into the brush in a way that said, 'go or I kill you.' Quil sheepishly followed, hopeful not to experience the same fate as Sniv.

* * *

"So where do you think they're taking us to?" Quil muttered as "Scyzor" and "Slash" led them deeper into the forest.

"With any luck, just to the beholder's training centers to be trained. Worst case scenario, we're punished by the Beholder himself. He has a knack for being able to hand out the worst punishment. But we did accomplish something. We braved a mystery dungeon as novices. We did something that nobody in my family has dared to try. We succeded!But..."

"It was all for nothing," Quil sighed, then stretched his neck. But in his mind, he felt lament for his captivity. '_That isn't Sniv. It's just an alternate personality. He can't be treated like this... But how can I help. We're both in handcuffs and about to be rectified._'

'_But I promised Sniv,_" Quil thought to himself, "_I promised him that I would help him escape the Beholder's soldiers. I can't let that promise be let go. I have to fight back._' Weighing the options, Quil knew that he would probably die, but he had to try and help his friend.

Quil jumped. Quil fell to the ground just seconds after jumping. Feeling his cheek with his paw, he felt a cut slicing into the cream fur on his face. Looking backwards, though hard to see, the Scizor had a puddle of blood on the top pincer.

Quil's blood.

"You might need this later, so don't waste it trying to kill me." the Scizor replied to Quil's actions, "When Cyndaquil are enraged, they tend to light up their tail fire. Yo never had a shot at surprising me. Keep moving." Quil reluctantly obliged, trudging along the path with a shocked Sniv staring at him.

"What in Arceus' name did you do that for?!" Sniv whispered maniacally, flabbergasted at what Quil had done.

"I had to keep my side of the promise. We made a deal that as long as you teach me to be a Pokemon, I would help you escape. I tried to keep up my end of the bargain." Sniv looked touched at Quil's words.

"What are two Pokemon doing in the Crystal Forest at night, anyway?" The Scizor did have a reason to be curious, Quil had to admit.

"Running away from people like you," Sniv shot at the Grovyle, "Because you're here to 'rectify' me into serving the Beholder!" The Scizor and Grovyle looked at each other, laughing like mad. Sniv, confused, shouted, "What's so funny?!"

"Wellll..." The Grovyle had to stop laughing to speak straight, "Let's give you the benefit of the doubt, and just say you're on the completely wrong track. The Beholder knows we exist, and that he is no client of ours."

"He doesn't require our services, and even if he did, we would never employ our skills to his regime." The Scizor remained stoic, not so much as flinching a muscle except his legs.

"So.. you _aren't_ the bad guys?.." Sniv curiously asked.

"Correct," the Scizor said, "We just want to check something out before we let you go. If you pass, you're free as a Fearow. I swear on my mother's grave."

"If we dont?.." That was the only question on Quil's mind.

"We'll discuss that only when is necessary to discuss. For now, come with us. We swear we won't hurt you if you comply. Understood?" Quil, willing to stay alive, walked along, rubbing his face.

'This gash still hurts.' He thought to himself as he trudged into the outskirts of the forest.

* * *

In seconds, Quil's surroundings changed. The forest trees around him shrank until they didn't exist, barren land stretching as far as the eye could see, with a small cliff just above the horizon.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Quil whispered to Sniv. "You okay?"

"Meh, so-so," Sniv muttered wearily as the flatlands seemingly moved past them, "At least the fact that they aren't allied with the Beholder is one less problem to deal with..."

"The Beholder," the Scizor snorted as they strolled in the brisk dawn, "He is the mortal enemy of me, myself and I. Only eight years ago, I escaped his grasp, and ended up where I am."

"Holy Arceus!" Sniv was short of breath when he heard the Scizor speak his words, "You _escaped_?! How?!"

"Is it any of your concern?" the Scizor glared at Sniv, it's second set of eyes intimidating Sniv.

"Actually, it is.." Quil trailed off, stepping up for his Snivy friend, "Sniv was supposed to be punished for standing up to the Beholder's soldiers by being turned into a soldier himself."

"Ah, I am most sorry for my harsh attitude. " the Scizor said. Turning to the Grovyle, he murmured, "Another one to fight for personal reasons. Should we tell them?" The Grovyle nodded, the duo turning to their captives. Unlinking the chains binding their arms, the Scizor spoke in a much deeper tone.

"As you know, this Grovyle is named Slash, and I am Scyzor. We are members of an underground resistance force. We are, divided, members of an Independence Team."

"Independence Team?" Sniv folded his arms in thought, then looked up and gasped. "Wait! You literally fight against the Beholder?! That's just... wow!"

"There are three divisions spread across Rastere: Black, Orange, and Diamond. Even though we're allied, we're spread thin enough that we can't communicate. Though we are basically one large Independence Team, we operate in up to fourteen-mon guerillas to avoid suspicion of a large network. The Beholder has yet to know this, and we intend to keep it that way."

"This is near the location of our base, which houses the orange division. It's hidden in the cliff not half a mile from here." Slash was

"So... can we can stay with your division for a few days... to hide from the Beholder's radar?" Sniv looked on the verge on pleading for hospitality.

"That can be provided, but this is not a relief service." Scyzor was looking at the two younger Pokemon with sympathy, "Unless you were to join the resistance, you can only stay for a few days."

"I want to join the resistance, if it means I can fight the Beholder for everything he's done. Quil, how about you?" Sniv was almost pressuring his friend to join him in his trek. Quil turned away to create more thoughts.

'_I've gone deeper than I thought I would, but it's coming way to fast for comprehension. I need to find a way to find my original identity, and this is the most efficient way to get close to that goal_.'

"You wanna do it, I'll do it too." Quil's stance was determined, ready to fight if necessary in the near future.

"Awesome!" Sniv was again giddy, much more than last time, "We're going to be one of the best teams in the resistance, in just a matter of months, I guarantee it!"

"Don't get too excited," Slash warned, "The life of an Independence Team is very difficult. When you set out on a mission, you have everything about the resistance on your back. If they capture you, they get access to all of our intel."

"Nevertheless," Scyzor pondered, "We never turn down a willing fighter. You two seem like excellent candidates for the fight. We welcome you to the resistance. Come. We have much to do. But first, we must locate the base and give our bodies a long rest."

* * *

"Eh... I don't see anything that looks like a base entrance." Sniv was looking around, confused about why they were in the middle of the ravine.

"It's this way for security. Once you can see him, you can thank our sentry and technician for making sure that we're safe from invasion." Scyzor pushed his hand against a small panel, which scanned his pincer.

"Ah, welcome back Scyzor," a voice cackled, "It's good to see that Team Spearhead's leader was not Killed in Action."

"Oh, come on, Fres," Scyzor chuckled, "You know me well enough to know I don't die that easily."

"Says who?" The voice revealed itslelf to come from a Gengar, which slipped out of the wall to wave to the two young recruits.

"Cyndaquil, Snivy, this is Fres, our sentry. He's responsible for making sure anybody unauthorized stays out of the base."

"A pleasure to meet you too," Fres smiled and shook both of their hands excitedly, "I suppose that I have new faces to remember. Hope you enjoy what free time you have left!" Cackling his unusual laugh, he went back into the wall and pulled open a large stone door.

"Wow!" Sniv gasped, taking in the moment, "I never realized that Pokemon had such advanced technology! I thought only humans were capable of this!"

"It is," Scyzor laughed, "But Fres once met a human who taught him technology inside out. That's how our base is so well protected."

"You'll love the base, but it's a lot more than the door's tech. Just wait." Slash had a warm smirk on his face, trying to stop from bursting out laughing, Light shone ahead, prompting Quil and Sniv into a jog.

The light dissolved away as Quil took in his immediate surroundings. Metal platforms rose meters above the main floor, which bustled with many Pokemon getting back from missions. Elevators brought the teams from their rooms, ready to eat or leave for a second mission.

"This.. this is incredible!" Sniv squealed in shock. "This is far more advanced than anything I've ever seen!"

"You'll be staying in our quarters tonight, but we're not sure for how long. That determines how long the Upper Command permits room and board with us." Scyzor, Slash, Quil and Sniv walked into an elevator, Slash pressing a button to the B15th floor.

"How many floors are there?" Quil whispered to Sniv, who was already way ahead of him, counting down to the basement floor. Looking up, he was pale white below his green skin.

"One hundred twenty, not counting ground zero, storage that takes up three floors, and a training floor. In total-"

"One hundred twenty five floors." Scyzor was not fazed by Sniv's reaction, who almost passed out, had Quil not helped him up. A small ding and the elevator doors clanged open, blue light flooding into their eyes.

"The Spirit Torches in the base have a time setting, thanks to the Ghost- types that power the base doors and floor traps. Red means dawn, orange means dawn, yellow mid-day, light-blue is evening, and purple is when NightCrawlers are hunting. Those can't get in, thanks to the psychic barrier that the sentries placd when we rebuilt the base. When any fire type, including you, activate their back's fire, it will be the same color." True to Scyzor's word, Quil's back flame was an invigorating red. "Now, time for some rest." Scyzor and Slash walked wearily to the door at the end of the short corridor. The metal door split and a war-weary Chandelure levitated over them.

"Welcome back, my good leader," the Chandelure said, intent on making Scyzor comfortable. "We heard of your MIA listing, but we all know too well that-"

"I don't go down that easily." Scyzor laughed, "Yes, Blake, Fres just said the same thing moments ago." Turning to Quil and Sniv, he announced, "Team Spearhead, these two will be staying with us tonight. Tomorrow, they begin their fight for independence beside us!" Multiple members of Team Spearhead, including an Eelektross, a Furret, and a Heracross cheered in unison.

"In that case," Blake half bowed, "let me tae them to the guest quarters for tonight. You look exhausted." As Blake extended two of his flames and dragged Sniv and Quil away, Scyzor grabbed Blake by the top of his flame.

"They will be staying with Slash and I tonight." Scyzor growled, almost ready to threaten his teammate if it called for a fight.

"But-"

"No. Buts. They will. Be staying. With us tonight." Scyzor was now shrinking his eyelids, intimidating Quil and Sniv, who both looked on in fright, but Blake simply dropped the two from his grip, letting the new recruits fall to the ground.

"Very well," the Chandelure muttered, glaring at his leader, "I will stop harassing your judgement. You have my word."

"Come," Scyzor barked to Quil and Sniv, who quickly followed him and Slash into their quarters. Beside the wall opposite the bed, there were two small cots, small enough to fit each of the new recruits.

"Have a good night's rest," Slash muttered, crawling into his own bed, "You're going to need it tomorrow." As Quil slimed his way into his cot, and the moment he closed his eyes, he heard Slash say, thinking Quil was asleep-

"Scyzor, I think you were right. The Cyndaquil may actually have the Dimensional Scream."

Quil really closed his eyes this time, and began to think about what Slash had just said. Maybe he wasn't here by fate. He must have been there for a reason. Promising to think about it the next day, he shut off his brain, and let his soul seep into the darkness of his body.

* * *

A/N: So there you have it: Chapter 3 is up early. Yeah, forget the last part of Chapter 2's AN. I decided this would be my Christmas Present to you guys, and post this chapter early. Hope you guys enjoy, and the next chapter will be named "Entering the Fray". Merry Christmas, and God Bless Us, Everyone!


	5. Chapter 4: Entering the Fray

Chapter 4: Entering the Fray

"Get up!" A voice commanded with surprising strength. Quil pulled up his wear head and placed it in the angry face of Blake, the Chandelure who had fought with Scyzor last night.

"You two were to get up an hour ago. In the Rebellion, we pull our own weight. Then again, our team did find you two after crawling a Mystery Dungeon..."

"So what do we do first?" Sniv questioned impatiently, "We're ready for anything."

"I was prepared to transfer you to Cadet Squadron Domino, but Scyzor and Slatinash have said that Scyzor is to directly train you under his command. There is something about you that Scyzor was willing to argue with Upper Command to make you his students. Though your apprenticeship will not last very long. After five missions, you're on your own. You will have to take the initiative." Butting Quil and Sniv out of the room, Blake gestured to a burly Pidgeotto, who waved back with a smile. "Kane here will take you around the base. We expect you to remember every corridor of this base. You will get lost otherwise. Good luck, recruits." Walking away, Blake shuddered in disgust. Sniv sniffed the air at his action.

"So, you're the new recruits?" the Pidgeotto said, "As Blake told you, I'm Kane, and I'm from Team Delta. I've been assigned to show you around. But first... what's your name?" He pointed to Sniv, who blushed incredibly red.

"Uh... m-my name is S-Sniv." Sniv stammered as his hand shook Kane's wing. "It's a real honor to meet another Independence Team."

"Mine's Quil," Quil said boldly, holding out his paw, which Kane took, "Pleasure's all mine." Kane took back his wing and began introducing the reruits.

"So Blake tells me you're supposed to register your team. You're going to be skipping the Cadet Squads and going for the real missions. Come with me." Kane flew down the small shaft, Quil and Sniv having to follow on foot with the elevators filling constantly.

"Who knew we'd be getting this much of an exercise on our first day?" Quil chuckled, panting at the bottom of five staircases.

"This is team registration," Kane explained, gesturing to a glasses-donning Leavanny, "You can see it's not very busy, since most Cadet Squads rarely pass their final examination." Walking over to the desk (Kane flew, of course), the Leavanny looked at the two small Pokemon, obviously thinking that they were from a Cadet squadron.

"Names and Cadet Squad?" She blandly said, not taking her eyes off the paperwork in front of her.

"These aren't from a Cadet Squad, Helen," Kane rambled, "These are Scyzor's kids." The Leavanny stood straight up, then looked at Quil and Sniv again. Quil looked at Sniv with confusion, Sniv as his mirror.

"All right then," the Leavanny said, "I'll need the leader of your team and the name of the IT."

"Quil's leader," Sniv said immediately, Quil staring skeptically. Sniv put his hand on Quil's shoulder and explained his reasoning. "Listen Quil. You have more leadership skill than I do, and you can basically be the one to make the right decision. I say you're leader." Quil looked away in though. Quil turned back and smiled.

"All right." Quil smirked, then play-punched Sniv in the shoulder, who laughed in return.

"Sounds like we have an optimistic team," Helen chuckled, returning to her papers. "Now I need a team name." Quil turned away in thought once again to subconsciously think it through.

'_Hmm_,' he thought, '_We never had a chance to think of a name. I need to think of something fast. eh... er... um... I've got it_!'

Turning back around, he spoke.

"Er... eh, how about Team Flashbang?" Quil was surprised as the Leavanny renounced it.

"Taken. And besides, I wouldn't pick that name if I were you."

"Team Javelin?" Quil was once again renounced by the word 'taken'. Quil tried other names such as Blazeplant, Elemental and Omega, but unfortunately all were taken. Helen finally sighed and wrote down something when Quil ran out of ideas.

"All right then," Helen bluntly put it, "Team Smallspark is your name. Good luck in the field."

"What?!" Quil and Sniv shouted in unison, while Kane laughed so hard he almost stopped flying from laughing. "When did we say that?!"

"You didn't. I did." Helen shook her leafy arms and stretched, "You're the smallest Pokemon I'd expect to make it to an actual Independence Team. So your name is Team Smallspark." Grabbing a cup of Oran Berry juice, Helen left for break.

"We can make this work to our advantage," Sniv said frantically, "e just need to figure out how."As Sniv was trawling his mind for optimistic ideas, Kane interrupted his thoughts.

"Better come with me, guys, or we'll be working into the morning getting you prepared for tomorrow." Following Kane down a hallway, Quil and Sniv's next sight was a kitchen, with benches of laughing and chatty Pokemon ate their meals.

"This is the Mess Hall," Kane announced, "We get our food for free here. It's a bit odd, but once it settles, it tastes amazing. You can even order it for on the road if you're in a hurry. Want a bite?"

"Would I!" Sniv looked at Kane as though he were their hero. Walking over, a Lilligant slapped something that looked like gelatin onto their tray.

"Have a great day of adventuring!" the Lilligant cheered. Quil noticed that the line didn't end there, instead going to the bar nearby. Taking their food over, they sat down at the bar. Unlike human pubs, which showed sports games, Quil saw the screens were filled with missions. Sniv summoned the barman, a hulking Machoke, over to their position.

"Three fingers of Vermillion scotch for me and Quil, and ask Kane what he wants." Sniv seemed sure about what he was doing, then noticed Quil's expression of shock, knowing that he was mostly likely ordering alcohol.

"Don't worry," Sniv grinned, "There's no alcohol in these. My brother and sister-in-law gave me one, and it was heaven. Just you wait."

"Herc is a master bartender," Kane remarked, watching Quil and Sniv eat what Quil noted tasted like chocolate pancakes. "If there's a drink you need, he can make it without a guide." At once, the Machoke known as Herc brought two tall glasses of what looked like regular beer, but when Quil tasted it, he realized Sniv was right. It was heaven. There was a main component of Oran berry juice, with a hint of butter and a large essence of Apple and cherry syrup.

"I know, right?" Sniv laughed at Quil's expression, "Told you."

"So, you two must be Scyzor's kids." Quil and Sniv started as a scrawny Raichu made his way over to the seat next to them.

"My name is Anon," the Raichu said, taking a large bite out of his breakfast, "I'm a member of Cadet Squad Domino, and it's not cool there."

"That's the same squadron Blake wanted to put us on." Sniv looked puzzled at the coincidence.

"You're special," Anon said, finishing up his food, "Scyzor wanted to train you personally, and when he does that, it's usually because there's something special."

"Well, it was nice to meet you, Anon," Quil said as Kane pulled him away. "Hope you pass your final exam. Good luck!"

* * *

"Anon's pretty nice," Quil said to Sniv, talking about the Raichu they just met. "He'd make a good member of our team."

"You might just get that chance." Kane said, showing Quil anSniv down the next staircase. "Choosing Day is coming up."

"What's that?"

"It's when the Independence Teams are required to pick an operative from a Cadet Squad." Kane explained. "With so many losses these days, new operatives are needed for Independence Teams to fight. That's when Upper Command came up with Choosing Day."

"Cool," was all that Quil could say as they rounded a corner. Weapons hung all over the plave, with uniforms stacked in neat corners.

"Our armory," Kane gestured to various piles of weapons, "We make them ourselves, but they're non lethal. This makes it a no-blood war. Pick a melee weapon, then return so I can give you a uniform." At once, Quil and Sniv began digging in the piles of weapons, looking for something to suit their intrest. Quil's paws found a peculiar weapon that caught his attention. A pair of of armored wrist plates that, upon telepathic command, could eject wrist blades that would cut steel.

"Excellent choices," Kane said, looking at Quil's plates and Sniv's Riot Glove, which also required telepathic command, but instead created

a large lightweight shield, but could also emit smokescreens, something Quil could do naturally. "Now, we need to get Sniv a uniform. To the sewing offices we go."

Turning around another corner, a group of Swadloon were dispensing silk to machines that produced multiple pieces of clothing. Sniv snooped around the freshly crafted materials, pulling out a pair of jeans, a blue t-shirt, and tight orange jacket.

"I can see why you would choose those," Kane said thoughtfully, inspecting Sniv's outfit. "Now there are only three more places left to show you. Scyzor will be back in time to "

Exiting an elevator, Quil and Sniv arrived on the lowest floor, which shimmered with many items gleaming back at the two Pokemon's bedazzled faces.

"Storage is where teams put items they find on missions that they don't need," Kane explained, "Our storage manager, Hawkeye, keeps tabs on everybody's inventory." At once, a Braviary flew into the room, with a smile across it's beak.

"Hiya!" Hawkeye burst out, "You have any items that need to be stored, I got room. You need any advice, I got it."

"Seems like a nice guy," Quil said, Sniv nodding in mutual agreement. "I think we can trust him." Quil and Sniv handed over the bag of berries that they found in Crystal Forest. Hawkeye stared at the bulging bag with shock, but his thick smile retuned instantly.

"Let me see if I can find empty storage space, and I'll be right back with something for ya." Flying away, Hawkeye was true to his word. He came back with a bright brown backpack, by the looks of it never even used.

"Standard- issue." Kane watched as Sniv decided to be the bag carrier, since Quil was already team leader. "You'll need this to carry items. It'll come in more handy than that burlap sack you have to lug on one shoulder."

"Goodbye! Hope ya have more items for me to store!" Hawkeye's optimistic attitude was somewhat wearing on Quil and Sniv's nerves, but both were extremely polite and tried to be helpful in any way.

"The next area we're going to visit is a shop. Unfortunately, this service is not free." Grimacing, Kane led Quil and Sniv to a small vendor with two Kecleon in it, one regular colored and the other magenta shaded.

"Hello, my dear friends!" the Green Kecleon cheered, summoning the two Pokemon to him. "I have all items needed for traveling! Care to invest in a Pecha Scarf or Stamina Band?"

"Eh... not today, sir," Quil politely denied, promising to come back for more service. Kane then whispered something to Quil so that only he could hear.

"Now listen, Quil... what I'm about to tell you is very important to you, and may save your life." Quil suddenl snapped to attention. "If you're a bit low on cash, Kecleon may be in a good enough mood to give you a good deal on items. But whatever you do... let's just say you don't want to take a thing from the shop without paying. It's an ugly experience that I'm sure you don't want to feel." Quil shuddered in fright as he looked at Kecleon's now-creepy smile, and proceeded to speed-walk away as fast as normal, Sniv right behind him. Kecleon waved goodbye, a thing Quil and Sniv both agreed on: run away as fast as possible.

* * *

"The last place I want to show you," Kane said, using his talons to pull open the door, "is our dojo. We use it to adjust to the elemental habitats and to hone our skills." Standing in the middle of the room was a pink orb, made of something similar to rubber bubbles. A small catlike creature stood in stasis, meditating to conserve it's psychic skills. The second it opened it's eyes, the bubble disappeared into the next dimension. Quil stared in shock, at a loss for words. Sniv, beside him, gaped in fear of making the creature disappear.

"It-it can't be..." Quil murmured, "But- it has to be real." Reaching a paw out, the tip made contact. Quil gasped as the psychic cat floated carefree and spoke.

"Mew!" the creature squeaked.

* * *

A/N: The next chapter will officially split away from Silver Resistance and have nothing to do with it. I'm sorry if it beared too much similarity, but this will change in Chapter 6. Chapter 5 will be called "A War is Coming" and Chapter 6 "This Was Not By Design". Hope you enjoy anyway!


	6. Chapter 5: A War is Coming

Chapter 5: A War is Coming

Quil's semi-closed eyes fluttered in amazement. This was supposed to be the rarest of all Pokemon, right? So what was it doing in an underground fortress, surrounded by at least a thousand of it's descendants? Sniv shared the same look of wonder, and was most likely thinking the exact same thing: What's Mew doing here?

The Mew fluttered around excitedly, squeaking it's name as it sped through the pillars of the dojo.

"This is real alright..." Sniv was exasperated through what only two days had brought the duo. "But something isn't right about it." Quil squinted more than he already was, and saw that Sniv was right. Mew's eyes were blood red, and the thick border surrounding the pupils was night black. Was it possessed?... No, that was too much questioning to the Base's security. Anything without proper authorization would have triggered an alarm.

"There's another possibility," Quil pointed out, noticing the Mew using Shadow Claw and Night Burst, "It only uses Dark and Ghost attacks. And there's only one Pokemon I can remember that knows Night Burst..." Noticing Quil's comment, the Mew glared and flew straight at him. Before contact, it transformed into a large, green dinosaur with a giant bloom on it's back. A Venusaur.

"...And it's Zoroark," Quil gasped, under the pressure of the Venusaur's claw. The supposed Venusaur dug deeper into Quil's body, which only fueled Quil's fire. Quil, unable to take the pressure of several hundred pounds, unleashed a flame the color of white at the Venusaur, which instantly changed into Quil's suspected Pokemon species. A large, bipedal fox, it had four claws on both hands, stained with the blood of dozens of trainees. It's long black mane, complete with highlights of red, gave away it's identity.

"Well done, my friend," the Zoroark gasped, desperate to put out the flames that cloaked his mane. Jumping into the training pool, the Zoroark sighed in relief, his once black mane charred to a much blacker crisp. And here Quil thought that it's fur couldn't get any blacker.

"This is Paakre," Kane said, using one of his talons to point, "He's the director of training, and his Illusional abilities provide him a wide variety of Pokemon to help Pokemon train with."

"Indeed," Paakre muttered, glaring at Quil for crisping his mane, "Ah, well, my bad. It'll only take a week to grow it back. Anyway, I'll be your trainer. You need help getting stronger, you come to me."

"You turned into Mew," Sniv demanded, pointing out what everybody knew to the maximum, "How did you do it? Your species can only turn into Pokemon they've seen, and need to keep seeing it in order to transform again."

"Yes indeed." Paakre shrugged modestly and sat down, motioning Quil and Sniv to do the same. "It was twelve years ago, at the summit of Mount Magnegative. A dark forest shrouds the area, and I quickly became lost in the area. I found a small clearing in the area, and was about to rest when a purple light flashed through my eyelids. In an orb of magenta aura, the legendary Mew stood before me! Not hasting a moment, I took my chance and transformed into Mew."

"Wow!" Sniv remarked, "That must have been awesome, to change into the creator of all Pokemon! What was it like? But where was the clearing, exactly?" Sniv was beginning to sound like Quil when he first woke up: Full of questions, but more bubbly and hyperactive. Quil remained silent for a second before agreeing in his own statement.

"It's got to be amazing," Quil said, pondering optimistically, "But I'm also kinda curious about where exactly you found it. Near Mount Magnegative... of course I've never heard of it, since I just became a Pokemon..."

"I cannot tell you," Paakre remarked seriously, though sympathetic for the new team's curiosity, "For Mount Magnegative is a dangerous place for young Pokemon. And it would disturb Mew, who has spent so long trying to be left alone."

"Anyway," Paakre cheered, "back to the story. As you were asking, I turned into Mew. The feeling... oh, the feeling, it was exhilarating. It felt like five doses of adrenaline has pulsed into my body at once. This was the feeling of perfection. I flew around as Mew, savoring the time I had, because in an hour's time, I would turn back to my Zoroark form."

Quil and Sniv both knew how much sorrow was in Paakre's heart, but knew that the story had at least a happy ending.

"Eventually, my time was gone. I sat and turned back into my Zoroark form. I cried until I had no tears left, and even then choked my throat to sleep. It was hard to get over the loss of the form."

"I can see how upsetting that would be," Quil sympathized sadly, "That must have been an exciting experience. To be Mew... I bet Zoroark would kill just to see it."

"Indeed," Paakre sighed, "But, when all seemed lost, when my full strength had returned, I tried and tried, and within a minute of trying, I... turned back into Mew!" Showing proof, the Zoroark jumped and transformed into the DNA Pokemon.

"How?!" Sniv spluttered, "I thought you had to see the Pokemon to transform into it."

"That was true, my young friend." Paakre murmured wisely, "However, becoming Mew has given me a power that no Zoroark have ever had. Every Pokemon's DNA has been stored inside of my genes. I can now transform into any Pokemon that I have ever been, for an unlimited amount of time. Though, there is a side effect. I have no recollection or technique on the Pokemon I transform into. I must learn every Pokemon's technique from scratch. This has allowed me to hone my skills, and in turn teach the next generation of soldiers."

"Ah, I see Paakre is telling you his story of how he found his Mew transformation." Quil and Sniv started as Scyzor strolled into the training complex, one of his eyelids pitch black. Nevertheless, Scyzor looked cheery as he met his two students.

"So, Kane told me about your team name," Scyzor gleamed, Sniv turning away and blushing bright red.

'Sniv's still upset about the team name,' Quil sighed in his mind. 'I think... no, that wouldn't work... aha! I have an idea.' Excusing himself from Scyzor and Paakre, Quil darted over to Sniv on all fours, then spoke on all fours still.

"This is the idea you wanted," Quil whispered, "It's a motto. Remember how you said we could make the Independence Team name 'Smallspark' work? I think I can fix that. It goes like this: ' The smallest spark... can light the biggest fire.' We're just two of thousands of Rebel fighters. We can show our independence just with eight words.' Sniv looked at Quil, then tackled him exactly as in Crystal Forest.

"Quil! It's perfect!" Sniv was exuberant about Quil's little idea, almost to the point of breaking up in tears. "We need to write it down! It'll echo our cause! You're a _genius_!"

"Excellent adaption, you two," Scyzor chuckled, "Now, come with me. _I_ have something to show you now." Waving goodbye to Paakre, the feisty Zoroark transformed into Mew, enjoying the feeling of perfection once again.

* * *

"This place is full of surprises," Quil spat once he and Sniv closed the door to the dojo, Scyzor looking back at the two, "Wonder what could be next? Booby traps?"

"Actually, there are booby traps in the hallway you entered last night." Sniv and Quil gaped at each other in fear before Quil lost it.

"You're telling me we were walking through a booby trapped hallway?! What were you thinking?!" Just as Quil was about to shout something else, Scyzor clamped his mouth shut with his pincer.

"Don't worry," Scyzor barked, watching Quil stare at him, "Only Fres can activate the traps, and he only does it when there's an intruder."

"Well," Quil sighed, bending his mouth back into shape, "That's a weight that won't bite. So, what were you going to show us? Is it important?"

"Yes, but not just to Team Spearhead," Scyzor said wisely, "But the entire base." Opening two giant steel doors, Quil and Sniv gasped.

It was a hangar bay. Not one that humans would be able to build. It was beyond technological standards. Cargo was being strapped to the backs of strong Pidgeot, and several Pokemon were attached to Archeops to fly to their next mission. Sniv was going to pass out, from Quil's observation. From the looks of it, it seemed like the hangar shot out of Harrow Ravine, but was hidden by the Ghost security.

"This is getting out of control!" Quil shouted, looking over the balcony.

"We take great pride in having a technological advantage over the Beholder," Scyzor said, crossing his arms, or pincers, "The bank is right next to the hangar, so you can deposit your money before going out on missions. Don't worry, I took the pleasure of opening an account for your team. I should introduce you to your mount." Walking out into the mess of cranes and crates, Scyzor led the two to an Aerodactyl resting before turning to meet it's clients.

"This is Sicko," Scyzor pointed, "He has one of the highest speed capabilites of all of our pilots. Only one of his kind in the entire Rebellion."

"Why has nobody hired him for piloting?" Quil asked curiously, pointing out an intriguing factor.

"Sicko has an... unusual flying style," Scyzor evasively answered, "But you'll be thanking him when he dodges artillery flak. Come on, we need to get you two to bed. It's been a long day."

Back at Team Spearhead's quarters, Scyzor came face-to-face with Blake, who was honestly peeved from Quil's point of view.

"Scy, you were supposed to be at Plateau Jungle today," Blake said, "The beholder's general has been demolishing our forces. Sicko will be needed along with our Archeops to deliver supplies to the members of the Team. I need you to help us tomorrow. I expect you to be at the Biomes by 0300 next morning." Scyzor nodded and frowned when Blake levitated out of the room.

"Crazy Chandelure," Sniv muttered, to which Scyzor nodded in agreement.

"I won't be able to join you two tomorrow on your mission." Quil and Sniv frowned in worry. Scyzor saw their pale faces and handed them the mission sheet. "Don't worry, it's an easy one. Simply bust a thieves den, and bring back the supplies. I'll have something nice for you if you complete your mission. Now, go to bed. You have a big day tommorow."

* * *

Quil moaned, his head lifting as his eyes focused on Scyzor waking up Sniv, shaking them both with his pincers.

"Wake up!" Scyzor hissed, "You've been summoned!"

"Bwuh?" Sniv blathered, "By who?"

"Our base's psychic," Scyzor growled, obviously as tired as them from lack of sleep, "We're going to give you that test Slash was talking about." Grunting, Quil pulled himself out of his cot, following Scyzor out of his cot.

Walking down to an open door, an Espeon gestured them in.

"Welcome, little ones," the Espeon said kindly, "Scyzor wants me to test you, to see if you have something special."

"Like?...' Sniv shrugged, hoping to receive all the more specifics.

"The Dimensional Scream," the Espeon turned it's head, just as tired as everybody else.

"You mean.." Sniv turned to Quil, who looked back.

"..Scyzor thinks we have the Dimensional Scream?" Quil asked, clueless to what the Dimensional Scream even was.

"Correct," the Espeon said, gesturing for Sniv to sit on the chair next to her, "By the way, my name is Sylvia, for further reference."

"I know you're busy, but is there any way this can be done quickly?" Scyzor ticked, "I'm sure everybody in this room has plans tomorrow, so we need to get this done quickly, Sylvia."

"As you wish, Scyzor," Sylvia snapped, then placed her front paws on Sniv's shoulders. Sniv winced from the extra weight on his torso.

"This won't hurt unless you make it hurt." Sylvia said, Sniv freezing in place. "Good. Now, close your eyes." Sniv did as he was told. Sylvia's eyes glowed a bright pink as her soul delved Sniv's mind, probing for the 'Dimensional Scream'. Sniv flinched three times, but nothing much happened other that. Sylvia's eyes switched back to their original color, then looked at Scyzor.

"This one has no Dimensional Scream," Sylvia spoke bluntly, "But there is something jammed tight into his mind. I can't wedge it out, but another psychic more powerful can be do it." Scyzor used his pincer to gesture Quil, who sat on the chair as Sniv had been instructed. Eva did the same thing as she had done before, lifting her front paws onto his shoulder.

Quil's surroundings vanished instantly. Sylvia stood before him, suggesting they look for something.

"What happened?" Quil squeaked, frightened at the white void surrounding him. A black substance lay in the distance.

"We are inside your internal memory," Sylvia expained, "While we are in here, it may seem like hours. Outside, however, the trip is mere minutes. Come. We must find the Dimensional Scream."

"Why is my mind blank?" Quil questioned, "Is it because of my memory loss?"

"Amnesia is the most common way to empty the corruption." Sylvia kept walking forward, during her vivid explanation. "Your mind seems to have been attacked by a NightCrawler. I suggest going to the infirmary on a break shift. They may be able to help you." Sylvia's head snapped upward and to Quil's right. "There it is!" A giant red blob stood in front of them. Similar to a Red Blood Cell, it floated ominously in the empty mind of it's Cyndaquil bearer.

"The dimensional scream is a Red Blood Cell?" Quil said, puzzled at the gelatin blob in front of it.

"This is the Dimensional Scream in it's physical form," Sylvia said, "Though this is a critical mass. Out of all the calls I have found for two hundred years, this is by far the most powerful Dimensional Scream. All we need to do is touch it..." Sylvia jabbed her paw into Quil's conscious, it's owner bending over in pain. This kept going on for several minutes until the Fire Mouse couldn't take the pain. Quil's squinted eyes flashed open, light emanating from them along with his four red back spots.

On Quil's side however, things were flashing before his eyes. Palkia, god of time, was moaning in pain, Quil stepping two feet before being twisted out of shape.

"Palkia!" Quil screamed, his body twirling into unpredictable items before Palkia's eyes looked into his. Bloodshot, deranged, yet somehow tranquil.

"I cannot." Palkia whispered solemnly, "It would be effort wasting. My powers are vanquished." And then it vanished. Along with everything else. Sylvia was gone. The physical form of the Dimensional Scream was gone. There was nothing. It was all a void, sucking him into nowhere. Quil, realizing his death inevitable, closed his eyes and began to drift away into the void.

* * *

Several moments later. Quil's body regained movement, moving his hands first. Blinking his squinted eyes, Sniv, Scyzor, and Sylvia were staring at him, gaping at what they had seen.

"What?" Quil blankly asked, before Scyzor exited. Quil and Sni quickly chased Scyzor back to the barracks. The torches shone in his face when Scyzor opened the door to Team Spearhead's quarters. Before exiting to his private room, the Scizor turned and smiled. A deep, bright smile, that Quil had never seen etched on Scyzor's face.

"You want to know what? You're our miracle."

* * *

A/N: And there you have it. For once, I kept the original title plan and not edited the chapter. Chapter 6 will be named "First Mission, Second Adventure". I thought adding 'into the void' in the story was a good title reference. Please, review and favorite. I won't be able to publish on school anymore because of school and homework, so sorry for that.

Once again, fan-submitted characters are welcome. Enjoy the show!


	7. Chapter 6: The First Mission

Chapter 6: The First Adventure

A/N: Sorry for the delay. Had a lot of time dedicated to Tron: Aftermath. Worry not, Aftermath is on hiatus, Into the Void is back in action, completely splitting away from Silver Resistance. Enjoy!

* * *

Quil moaned, his head pounding from lack of sleep. Scyzor's bed was carefully made, Sniv staring at him several inches away from his nose. Yelling, Quil rolled out of his bed, hitting the stone floor with a heavy thud.

"Quil!" Sniv shouts in excitement, "Today's the first day of Team Smallspark! Come on, say it!" Quil, still waking up and pulling on his jacket, realized what Sniv was talking about: their team's motto. The one that had almost reduced his partner to tears of joy.

"The smallest spark..." Quil shouted as the beginning phrase..

"..can make the biggest fire!" Sniv roared alongside. Rushing towards the exit, Sniv opened the bag and held out two small bags of the mess hall's food.

"Since I let you sleep in a bit, I decided to pack us food for on the go. Kane's advice came in handy. Did you get your wrist blades?" Quil held up his paw and let the iron blade come out with a 'shink'.

"Good," Sniv said, "so, where's our mission? Didn't Scyzor say it would be good for beginning fighters." Quil, in the main hallway, looked at the mission description.

"Says here to destroy a hideout in Youlen Cave. It's C Rank, which is the third- easiest mission rank. Scyzor said to call for reinforcements with the radio in the bag once we find the valuables. Should be easy enough. Probably'll take at least a day on foot, since Sicko had to join the supply fleet assisting Team Spearhead." Quil breathed sparks upon reaching the exit. The running up the staircases to avoid rush hour had left him breathless.

"Can't be that hard, can it?" Quil perked up as he heard the familiar voice ringing through the entryway. The Raichu they met the previous day was walking out to the main entrance, followed by a female Mudkip.

"I don't know, Anon." The Mudkip was uneasy about Anon's apparent decision. "We've failed this one two times, third time won't be a success."

"Hey! Anon!" Quil shouted when Anon passed them. The Raichu waved a brown paw, as he and the female Mudkip walked out of the base.

"When's choosing day, again?" Quil nudged Sniv as the latter dug the schedule out of his backpack.

"It's in about two weeks." Sniv and Quil looked at each other in happiness. Adding more muscle to the team would be a large help, especially when the war

"Ah, Team Smallspark. The smallest children ever to become an Independence Team." Quil and Sniv turned around to see a female Honchkrow with several other Flying- Types behind it.

"Is there a problem?" Sniv questioned reasonably. The Honchkrow laughed in disgust.

"Problem? Oh, there's no problem in this base. Not unless I count you two in." Quil, seething with anger at the sentence, lunged at the Honchkrow, only to be held back by Sniv.

"It's not worth it, buddy," Sniv symphasized, pulling Quil back. Turning back, he glared at the Honchkrow, who was flying away with his cronies.

"We'll look him up in the database when we get back." Quil seemed determined to get back at his new rival. "I have a bone to pick with that stuck-up-"

"Never mind him." Sniv tightened the straps of the backpack, handing Quil a bag of gelatin and a spoon. "Here. Makes it easier to travel if we don't sit down. Let's go."

* * *

"So, how long until the army comes to pick you up?" Quil seemed to be caring for Sniv as a friend, not wanting to leave so soon.

"Only four days left," Sniv frowned, shoving a branch out of his way, only to have it hit Quil in the nose. Yelping like a puppy, Quil pushed on.

"Whatever does happen to you, I won't let them take you. I made a promise, and I intend to keep it." Sniv looked at Quil, then smiled.

"I thought we only made that promise to escape Scyzor and Slash."

"It's never gonna leave on my side." Quil smirked, folding his paws behind his head. "If they're going to try and take you, they'll have to go through me." Sniv smiled at the act of friendship as they trekked into the unknown. Taking out a spoon, Quil began eating the substance in the plastic bags. Quil swallowed too fast, his face turning blue as his friend slapped his back, giving Quil back the wonderful feature of breathing.

"This is definitely not as good as yesterday's," Quil muttered, munching on whatever it was that they were eating. An insentient Sentret scampered through the bushes overlaying the forest on either side. Quil waved in a friendly manner, at which the Sentret's eyes turned in a way that looked insane. Hissing, it dove into the bushes, out of sight from the threat that it saw.

"Well, not like we have much of a choice." Sniv remained hopeful. They had stayed on track, making good progress through the forest. It was almost nightfall, when lightning and thunder split the sky. Rain drenched down, smoke billowing out of Quil's fire pores.

"I see nothing but trees, rain and lightning," Quil shivered, first looking at his smoking body, then glancing up to see fog shrouding the area, "And now I see fog. Lots of fog." Sniv looked up as well and sighed. "I'm thinking we need to set up camp, and fast."

"I'll start hanging the tent." Sniv quickly dug the Night Pack out of the backpack, hoping to help Quil from smoking to death.

* * *

The next morning, Quil and Sniv set off. The rain had settled away from their location, far off in the mountains, but disaster soon struck. Without the food they had received the previous day, they were hungry within hours of packing up and leaving.

"You have any food?" Quil groaned, stretching from walking on an empty stomach.

"I don't," Sniv said, doubtful of even reaching the Mystery Dungeon of Youlen Cave. "I should have packed some of the berries from Crystal Forest, but we still need to work on getting up on time."

"How was the pleasure stroll yesterday morning?" Quil smirked.

"Could've been better," Sniv muttered, "Rush hour was around then. Hey, look!" Sniv pointed at a blunt wooden sign, which read the two words "Route 52". Standing next to it...

"An apple tree!" Sniv chanted with happiness, "We're saved!" Picking as many apples as possible, Quil and Sniv ate to their satisfaction, as Sniv turned towards the cave

"This is the route to Youlen Cave." Sniv turned back and shivered, "But nobody goes there anymore. They say a ghost lurks in that area,when the fog lays down, and that the fog only lays down when a Noctowl hoots. We were dangerously close to this route, and I say we need to get through the route before the sun sets. Otherwise, we're dead."

* * *

"Something tells me we're not going in the right direction," Sniv said several hors later, pointing out to the mountain range. "We've been walking around that mountain for ages now, it's almost dusk, and we haven't found a single entrance into Youlen Cave. We should probably..."

"Hey, Sniv?" Quil's voice sounded frantic, "I think I'm sinking! SNIV! Help!" Sniv turned around to see Quil sinking into the earth around him, eventually his nose. Quil, in turn, saw Sniv sinking in up to his eyes.

"Quil!" Sniv shouted, since Quil's ears were half buried, "I can feel air on my feet!" Quil tried wiggling his stubby legs, and found that Sniv was right: There was only a foot of earth between them and something. Pushing downwards, Quil eventually landed in a tunnel, torches illuminating the dark and cold area. Sniv landed on top of him.

"I think we found the entrance," Sniv said triumphantly, "We need to mark our trail with X's in the tunnel. If we hit a dead end, we can come back the way we came." Picking up a stick, Quil dug an X into the dirt, several feet apart, as they walked through the barrier to the mystery dungeon.

* * *

"Stupid kids," a voice croaked, his padded feet, webbed and stitched from battles across Rastere, "They don't know what they've gotten themselves into, do they, Weavile?"

"Certainly not," Weavile, whose golden amber eyes glistened in the darkness. Her black fur, so similar to Pakkre's, intertwined with the red, creating an interesting fusion. "They are students of my former teacher. They have just started. I can see it in their stance."

"Heh heh..." the Golduck stomped on the X's as he walked forward, erasing any hope of Team Smallspark finding their way out. "Team Blasphemy will give those two hopeless failures a visit they'll never forget."

Their laugh echoed through the tunnel, reaching the ears of the two underpowered Rebellion members, who were walking to the inevitable.

* * *

A/N: And there you have it! Sorry for being so small, Chapter 6. Chapter 7 will be called "Youlen Trekkers". Also, starting now, previews for the next chapter will be added.

Next time: Quil and Sniv trek through Youlen Cave, unaware they're closer to their goal than expected. Team Smallspark realizes that Sniv's superstition about Route 52 may be true and false at the same time, when they find a tree in the tunnel system.


	8. Chapter 7: Youlen Trekkers

A/N: Here we are folks, two-for-one week! Enjoy Chapter 7 of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Into the Void! Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 7: Youlen Trekkers

"Did you hear that?" Quil shuddered as the lanterns above them flickered, along with several rocks on the tunnel side. They hadn't entered the Mystery Dungeon yet, which Quil knew since the dimensional ripple hadn't encased them yet. But the evil laugh ceased to frighten him into submission.

"I did," Sniv muttered, taking off the skin of an apple and eating it to calm his nerves, "That was some laugh. Either they have really high magnitude vocal cords, or this cavern has a high seismic echo rate." As Quil was about to agree, a magnetic force pulled his already walking legs forward, forcing him to jog. Sniv, on the other hand, was struggling against the force, only to become encased by the Mystery Dungeon Gate. The second Quil dropped to the floor, the magnetics disappeared.

'_Wow_,' Quil thought to himself, '_This Mystery Dungeon really likes visitors.'_

"I think we're inside the Dungeon now," Quil said, amused as he dusted off his jacket. Allowing his fire to activate, Quil provided more illuminance to the dull flickering of the torches. Sniv perked up, to Quil's unnatural notice as he crept around the corner and gaped.

"What is it?" Quil asked, before gaping in the same direction. He saw what Sniv could see. Machines. Crude stone ones that relied on several Pokemon to operate just one of them. The conveyer, however, was somehow automatized, not requiring manual labor. Every Pokemon, Quil noticed, had a small tattoo on their forehead. A triangle inside of a circle, with a diagonal line running through the middle.

"The Gemini's Salute," Sniv sneered, "The mark of the Beholder. They craft this tattoo out of Enigma Berry juice, and they have a pretty long line to receive the Salute. Superstition claims that they've mastered enough human technology to make a mind control pathogen out of the juice, and it's like a hive mind. Only one out of a hundred of the Beholder's soldiers willingly sell their lives to the Beholder. I'm not going to be either of the category. Not if I have my say." Quil was sympathetic about Sniv's last sentences, but was still holding onto two negative thoughts: '_What are the Beholder's troops doing in a cave? And what are they mining for?_" Quil shook the irrelevant out of his head as he walked deeper into the cave.

* * *

**Youlen Cave Sector 1**

"Sniv?" Quil said quietly, hoping not to provoke Sniv, "You got the datapad research that Scyzor left for us?"

"Right on my wrist," Sniv smirked in amusement, before activating a hologram and allowing Quil to read it. "It's human, since the Pokemon who wrote the Resistance Files was once allied with a human. You're the only one who can read it."

"Youlen Cave is a series of intersectional caverns that lie underneath the Zeron Mountains," Quil read aloud, "It is a common sight to see veins of Korotinite, a mineral used in the casing of dart shells and various other warfare technology that is only found in the ten mile radius around the mountain. Youlen Cave is low priority, usually only to be assigned to Cadet Squadrons, with little tactical warfare value. The Mystery Dungeon that intertwines with the cave system is six sectors, containing mostly Grass, Ground, and occasional Water type Pokemon, due to the occasional water springs, which produce high mineral containing water." Shutting off the hologram, Sniv frowned at his partner.

"Now we know what they're here for," Sniv said, cracking his knuckles to relax. "They're planning some kind of dart strategy. And they could use it as artillery explosives casing. You think they could be collaborating with the thieves we're hunting?"

"Pretty likely," Quil said, watching as the torches faded around him, with space bringing back new ones in the twist of dimensions. "They obviously aren't scared of us, telling us by their crazy laugh. Their base is probably placed in the end of the dungeon, because they would lose the treasure they've stolen in the dimensional void."

"So we have to travel through the dungeon and bust the den?" Sniv seemed unsure of his ability to do either, patting his hands together.

"Only way it's possible. Those thieves have walled themselves deeper than I can imagine." Only Quil seemed confident around the Beholder's soldiers, as Quil himself could notice his partner's insecurity.

Walking over, Quil patted Sniv on the shoulder.

"Come on," Quil said energetically, "We have to do this. We signed up for it. We have to complete this, to prove that we can pull our own weight." Sniv turned red across his nose, before confessing something that Quil would never have expected.

"If...if you hadn't joined the Rebellion and formed Team Smallspark, I wouldn't be here either. I would have packed up and gone on the run. Run, run... and survived. I have no initiative, so the choice was yours. And I'm glad that you picked this." Quil stood, dumbfounded, then gestured his partner to follow him farther into the cave.

* * *

**Youlen Cave Sector 2**

"We're being followed," Quil muttered, his back flame vibrating, poised and ready-to-fight. "It's a grass type, so leave it to me." Sniv nodded, standing back. "It's..." Squinting as far as his eyes would let him, Quil was tackled by a grass type, hooked feet and tail slashing at his body. Two reptilian, golden brown surrounding the pupil, glared at him from the darkness around. A Treecko, one of a few grass types in the area, lurked in the wallowing shade.

"Eat flame!" Quil shouted, trying to shoot out one of his signature blasts of fire. Instead of his expected results, no fire came out, just a monstrous flare on his back. Quil gaped in surprise, then glanced at his tail flame. "What the hell? What's going on?"

"Leave it to me!" Sniv screamed over Quil's shock, swiping his leaf-tail at the enemy. Dodging, the Treecko fired off a ball of emerald-green energy. Sniv, attempting to dodge it, didn't predict the air resistance that was not included in the attack. The attack slammed into Sniv, exploding on contact and sending the recipient flying. Quil then did something that he had never expected to do.

He rammed into the Treecko, full force. Igniting his back flame, Quil sent the Treecko in flames. The Treecko screeched, dashing into one of the springs nearby. Smoke poured from the spring as the Treecko growled in agony. Glaring at his opposition, the Treecko crawled into the darkness, where a screech coud be heard echoing the same way the laugh had shaken Quil. Sniv hid behind Quil as a pair of crablike pincers escaped the darkness, followed by metal feet floating several inches off the ground. A three-pronged head and a pair of amber beetle-like eyes accompanied the body, with an Independence Team badge finishing off the Scizor.

"Wait... Scyzor?!" Sniv sighed in relief as Quil cheered for their guardian's arrival. "What are you doing here?!"

"Blake kept complaining that we would never finish the current phase of our campaign in a five day limit without my presence," Scyzor smirked deviously, hinting a positive side to the story, "even though we were already more than ten percent away from completion, approximately. With my presence, we finished the campaign phase in half the time he estimated. Then again, exaggerated complaining is one of his best subjects." Scyzor's mood turned a bit more serious, as Quil helped Sniv tighten the lanky backpack. "But we have to give him respect. The only reason Bangle Helios had been taken by myself was because Blake had reasonable intel, and is able to hold his own in battle. For that reason, I have made him and Slash my right hand men. We had too much time to waste after this phase ended, so I requested that I come and help you finish your mission." Looking back into the cave, the dark that wasn't lit by Quil's fire, Scyzor smiled. "I see you two have made much progress."

"We found something while sneaking around," Quil said, showing Scyzor several holograms of the mining complex. "They're mining some kind of metal. Youlen Cave's database said it was called Korotinite, used in dart and artillery shell casing. I wouldn't know anything about it, since I have no memory about my past life. What about you?" Scyzor sighed and thought wisely, then spoke.

"It is possible that the Beholder's forces are trying to locate the base of the Orange Division, but have not yet found it. They are, however, very close. They have been positioning their forces dangerously close to a town several miles away from here, called Xenopho Town. In the meantime, they are faw away from our base, but they are close enough to Youlen Cave to start a mining operation. Come. Our mission is our priority. Find those thieves with my help, and we will be able to shut down both their operations and the mining complex here." With that said, Scyzor walked into the cave, leg joints creaking, and dirt being smashed into small craters while Quil and Sniv followed their surrogate into the caverns.

* * *

**Youlen Cave Sector 6**

"According to the dungeon tracker, we should be more than halfway through the dungeon," Sniv reported, intelligence pouring out of his riot glove.

"Quil, does Sniv have any food in the bag?" Scyzor's voice seemed demanding as Quil dug through the bag and dug out a crisp apple. Quil threw it, Scyzor catching it between his two left claws. Chewing on it, he assessed Quil's fighting abilities, letting the juice from the apple soothe his throat and voice.

"I was watching that entire fight from the shadows." Scyzor said, impressed with his student, "It is very good to have an idea of improvisation when you cannot activate your abilities. And Sniv, your Leaf Blade was very strong. It will be even stronger as you train with Pakkre."

"Yeah, there was a technique I wanted Pakkre to help me learn," Sniv said, "It was pretty powerful, judging by the blast radius and the accuracy."

"A wise choice," Scyzor smiled a devious one, throwing the apple core, bare to nothing, on the ground, which a Rattata scurried and dragged it into the hole that it inhabited. "That is the key to becoming a war hero: learning new tactics to surprise the enemy." Sniv grinned at his teacher's approval while Quil, preoccupied with his own matters, tried to light his flamethrower. "Is there a problem, Quil?"

"Nah," Quil denied, his brown jacket furrowing as his arms crossed in thought, "I just wish I knew why my Ember attack would ignite. It worked in Crystal Forest, when Sniv and I fought off a horde of Bedrill. It won't work now, for some reason I can't figure out."

"You'll have to speak to Pakkre, too," Scyzor lamented, "I have as much information on Pokemon anatomy as a Slowpoke would. He can probably assist you in that matter."

"Whoa, wait!" Sniv said, pointing, "Is that what I think it is?!" Quil saw that Sniv was pointing at a tree filled with apples the color of goldish- red, shining brightly in Quil's firelight.

"It seems we have made a marvelous find," Scyzor said, grinning the widest Quil had ever seen. "These are Perfect Apples. The rarest apple that can ever be found in Rastere. The Beholder would kill to have these, since the nibble of one can boost your power astronomically. He would have unstoppable forces. Quick, put them in the backpack!" Quil and Sniv joined Scyzor as they piled the "Perfect Apples" into the backpack on Sniv's back. As Quil was placing the last apple in the stuffed backpack, a Noctowl hooted, indicating their position on Route 52. A blast of smoke issued from the tree, Quil, Sniv and Scyzor coughing away. Quil looked up and grinned.

"I think your superstition has been foiled," Quil said, "Now I get it. The Beholder's troops began spreading the rumors of Route 52 to scare off anybody daring to go near Youlen Caves." Sniv sheepishly shrank into his hood.

"Now, we have a very good food supply, along with healing items," Scyzor exclaimed triumphantly to Quil and Sniv, "Now, we are nearing the enemy encampment. What will we do, since there is only one entrance, and they will have predicted our entrance?"

"I was just going to knock on the front door with a cupcake gram. Yeah, that totally would have worked." Quil smirked slyly as Sniv burst into laughter at the joke. "But seriously, that might have actually given me an idea..."

* * *

A/N: Here we are folks! Already on Chapter 7, and Chapter 8, "Thieving the Thieves" will be well on the way. Tron: Aftermath is getting rough drafts for Chapter 4 by me and my friends, so hopefully that should be out soon.

Next: Quil, Sniv and Scyzor infiltrate the enemy fortress using Quil's new strategy, and begin the destruction of the Koroninite mining facility.

Until then, keep reviewing, because I need help creating characters. My friends are TRON addicts, not Pokemon fans.


	9. Chapter 8: Thieving the Thieves

Chapter 8: Thieving the Thieves

"Got some more junk," the Golduck cackled, throwing a bag of valuables to the floor without a care. A pearl necklace and gold chalice splashed out of the sack, kicked by the Weavile that followed. Both had tattoos and stitches from numerous battles covering their bodies, notably the Golduck, whose toe-webs were sewn back together numerous times.

"When did you get it?" A voice echoed from the darkness of the unlit side of the bunker.

"Take a guess," the Golduck sneered, "Right under their noses."

"Are you mad?!" their boss, a stern and deadly- looking Drapion grabbed his subordinates by his two dangling claws, his eyepatch hiding a dead, menacing eye, "Pulling off stunts in broad daylight?! We operate like Crobat. Only in the night do we come out. If you want to screw everything up, then at least don't let anybody find you. Are you sure nobody's found our base yet?" It would a challenge to, even if anybody had the Beholder's technology on their side. It was a large, cylindrical room, made entirely out of Koroninite, and purified to be twice the durability. "Coile, are you sure you weren't tracked?"

"Oh, Splinter, dear," the Weavile, named Coile, said sweetly, "why are you so, so mad for your teammates pulling off a little overtime due to your rash decision? Besides, nobody could have found us unless they were to go through the cave system. Only we dare to do it anymore."

"But.. Coile.. those kids" The Golduck is about to say something about two random kids when Coile slashed him with her feet claws.

"Fiin doesn't know what he's talking about," Coile chuckled, "He was just hallucinating." Splinter glared at her, then turned to Fiin.

"What did you see following?" Splinter hissed, eyes bulging so big that the eyepatch looked like it was going to snap off.

"A.. a.. a couple of kids..." the Golduck stammered, "A Cyndaquil and Snivy. Pretty small. But I wouldn't consider them a threat..."

"You FOOLS!" Splinter roared, throwing his "partners" across the room. He began his rage as they rubbed the back of their throbbing heads. "You let CHILDREN follow you?! Do you realize they could have alerted the Police by this point?!" At the second the sentence ended, a knock on the door occurred. "Great. Now we have visitors coming out the whazoo. Probably one of the mock teams sent by that underground resistance that Coile used to work for. Open the door."

To their surprise, all that was standing there were a Cyndaquil and a Snivy. The Cyndaquil made a cheesy grin and said, "Hi, we're here to sell cupcakes to those fighting in the war. May I interest you in one?"

* * *

Quil managed to put on the best smile as possible, and was still attempting to keep it as the Golduck and Weavile glared at each other. The Golduck smiled and nodded in synchronization, then turned to the two.

"Well hey there kids," the Weavile said warmly, contrary to the cold nature ice-types usually reared, "How can we help you today? Looking for a friend of your's, 'cause they aren't here at the moment?.."

"We're selling cupcakes to raise money for _an underground resistance movement_," Quil said, emphasizing the last four words, making sure the two larger Pokemon got the message clearly, "And we know what you've been up to. Thieving from the richest Pokemon in the area. And we're going to do something about it."

"Oh, I think our boss would have to say something different about it." the Weavile snickered evilly as a Drapion swaggered out of the shadows.

"Oh, scrag," Sniv gulped, as Quil thought, "_This is the end, unless..._" Quil shouted at the top of his lungs, "SCYZOR! NOW!" Scyzor dropped from the ceiling, covered from head to toe in rusty-red ore, and the room turned into a war zone. Quil smashed his back into the Weavile, the same trick he used with the Treecko, and smiled as the Weavile burst into flames. Sniv took the Golduck, cutting open several stitches with his tail leaf. The Golduck's fist, covered in ice, missed Sniv by several inches when Sniv sped to the side, using his vines to smash him into the central pillar.

Scyzor was clashing his foe, the equally powerful Drapion. Both claws slashed and cut at each other, neither making a mark on their armored bodies. Quil was intensely watching, so absorbed that while racing towards the stack of valuables he tripped over a tripwire. Two bolas made of string tied Quil's arms and legs to his body. Quil's eyes flashed open as he yelled in pain, the entire eye glowing pure energetic white. And that was the last thing he saw.

* * *

"He's awake! I can't believe it! He's stirring!" Sniv was whispering, in hopes of not to hurt Quil's ears. Sniv and Scyzor came into focus from the blend of swirling colors, as a large piece of berry was thrust into his mouth. Quil's mouth acted on it's own, chewing the berry with pure delight. It tasted sour, like hard candy, only juice poured out of what he ate.

"Hello, Quil," Scyzor said, "Up from your little nap yet? Glad to see you're still alive." Quil groaned, the electrocuting wires tossed aside, cut by Scyzor's pincers. All of the Pokemon that had opposed their intrusion were gone, leaving everything behind.

"You did some kind of telekinetic shock wave," Sniv explained, "You showed them. So now we have full access to their valuables, along with the access codes to a heck-of-a-lot of stuff in the Beholder's technical data."

"You inadvertently did a good deal of help today, Quil," Scyzor sympathetically said, tapping a button on his wrist, "In exactly one minute, Sicko, the entire Team Spearhead and the supply fleet will be here to pick us and the riches up. Take whatever you feel necessaty to add to the bag. We'll use it as your reward for hard work." At once, Quil and Sniv started digging for something of worth to them.

"We'll load the sacks the supply fleet is bringing with the most valuable items. That way, if they run..."

"They then take their most valuable items with them!" Quil shouted, full of understanding, "I get it!"

"You two are picking up fast." Scyzor seemed to approve, digging through the most valuable items.

"Hey Scyzor," Sniv said from a pile of goods, "Is this worth anything?" Sniv held up a crystal, filled with pure DNA energy. Scyzor grabbed it out of Sniv's hands and grinned mischievously.

"I thought only the Beholder had a huge grip on these. This is an Evolution Gem. It has the power to evolve any Pokemon, regardless of how powerful they are. Put this in the bag. You'll need it later, I can confirm it." Sniv stuffed the bag full of money, accessories and stat-boosting items. Quil picked an orange bandanna and tied it around his neck. If he was going to pick something to take home, he might as well be modest.

Sicko took no time to tear a hole through the roof with a Hyper Beam, assisted by the rest of the supply fleet. Shoving valuables into the cargo bags with help from the rest of Team Spearhead, minus Blake, who was sending reports to Upper Command. Quil hoped Sicko flew nice, or he wasn't eating his dinner tonight.

* * *

Quil soon found flying wasn't as cracked up as thought to be. It tore at his face, air pressure threatening to destroy his skeleton. Half of the koroninite mine was in smoldering pieces, collapsed on machinery powered by both Pokemon and automatics. The explosives used to blow up the unsuspecting Pokemon working there were, of course, by Quil's specific design. Low capacity fuel barrels purified to use Koroninite as an explosive fuel. Quil guessed Anon coud probably come up with a better idea, but it still worked.

"Sniv! How you holding up?" Quil shouted over the roar of five Gs to Sniv clutching Sicko's head horn. Landing would probably save Sniv from vomiting the few pounds of food eaten onto the trees below him.

At long last, Sicko's clawed feet touched the ground, Sniv sliding off the Aerodactyl and collapsing in the grass. Hugging Sicko in a drunken state, Sniv smacked his hand on the sensor before regaining himself and collecting his lunch in his stomach; not that he had much to begin with.

"You two did good today," Scyzor complimented, rubbing the fur on Quil's head, "Tomorrow, your team has a break shift, according to the records," Scyzor said, reading a holographic bulletin, "You two have the day to do whatever you need, but I suggest taking lessons from Pakkre, to sharpen your skills. Also, buy some lubricant from Kecleon to clean the rust off of your blades. Not going to do anything useful while tarnished."

Quil began to murmur to himself, before plucking up courage. "Hey Scyzor, I was wondering..."

"Yes, Quil, you are," Scyzor said, wearing his warmest grin to assit Quil's mood.

"Is there something that I'm missing out on?" Sniv interrupted, but Scyzor kindly said that things would form soon enough.

* * *

A/N: So, I had a three day deadline to do this, so I think it went well. But, there will be chapters much longer than this. So stay tuned and review (yea, I sound like the anime).

Next time: An old friend visits the area, looking for Scyzor and the Rebellion, and Quil and Sniv train mercilessly on Scyzor's orders. However, Quil and Sniv's orders to bring back the enemy Pokemon may have something to do with other than for the good of the Rebellion.


	10. Chapter 9: Prototype Fighters (Pt 1)

Chapter 9: Prototype Fighters (Part 1)

The ship sailed across the Lake of Goners, the only occupant on board staring from the bow at the metropolis of Klinger City. A helmet hid the Pokemon's facial features, only revealing golden amber eyes, pupils slit into a thin line. Two blades, the edges sharp enough to cut the hide of a Golem, were attached to the aquatic Pokemon, naturally formed from centuries of evolution. Turning back to the stern of the ship, smoke billowed from the smokestack, the propellors being assisted by sails, picking up wind to push the ship towards the harbor.

Taking off his helmet, the Kabutops smirked, watching as the scanners passed over the hull of the ship. The computers whirred, messages springing back and forth from the ship and the crew of the scanning system.

_Manifest Inventory requested._

_Manifest Request denied. Highest level of sovereign access codes granted. Given by the order of the Beholder. Procedure inevitable._

The Grovyle and Furret, both Pokemon that had willingly joined the Beholder's army gaped at each other. Both had seen the access codes like these before. Jumping down the side of the platform and walking into the harbor, the two took off their uniforms and dug a backpack with a radio included in the works. The Grovyle, wearing Rebellion clothes, spoke into the radio, voice wavering like the oceans in an earthquake.

"Scyzor," Slash whispered just loud enough for the recipient to hear, "Khanis has come to Fleriss City."

_Several hours earlier..._

Quil and Sniv moaned, crawling out of the beds that lay in Scyzor's room. The thieves den was long past them, exactly two days before. Pulling on their jackets, neither bothered to zip up the coat to cover their gray shirts.

"'Morning, Scyzor," Quil yawned, Scyzor already in a War Conference with his team. Scyzor gestured good morning, and for the two to take a seat at the conference.

"Now, back to business," Scyzor said in a stoic tone, "Slash and I have been increasing our efforts in raising the Beholder's attention away from Jungle Plateau. Now, we need to focus on the fight in the jungle. Anybody have any complaints about this idea?" Quil sheepishly raised his hand, to which Scyzor nodded.

"A couple of days back, you said your team was split into several locations," Sniv reasoned, pressured by the stare of every member of Team Spearhead bore into his eyes. "If you focus your entire efforts on just one area, couldn't the Beholder's forces take the other areas that were almost under the control of the Rebellion."

"The kid has a point," the Furret, known as Kunber, said with approval, "If we pull all of our forces into one area, the others will be occupied by the Beholder's forces. Our forces will just have to pull double shifts. If Junkad, Ghaned and I pull it off as a double, we'll take Underworld Valley in a matter of days."

"It is settled then," Scyzor said, standing up from his chair, "Team, to your campaigns. Dismissed." All eleven other Pokemon rose and strided out of the planning quarters. "Quil, Sniv. I need to talk with you." Quil and Sniv froze in fright that they had done something wrong. Sitting back down on their chairs, Scyzor resumed his speech.

"Upper Command has reviewed your progress so far, and is highly impressed. Without my help, they are confident that you two are potential candidates for the Special Operations program. I was never selected for this position, so I suggest that you consider this a large honor. However, training of all candidates begin in two weeks. You will be receiving personal quarters for Team Smallspark, along with independence without my guidance. You two should go and train with Pakkre. Go on.." Shoving Quil and Sniv out of the room, Scyzor closed the door to receive messages.

_Training room, present day..._

"Ah, you two," Pakkre said, turning into his Excadrill form, "You have come to hone your skills. Therefore, let us beg-"

"Hold on." Sniv and Quil both stopped Pakkre in his tracks, before any attack could come close to hitting them. Pakkre turned back to his Zoroark form, crossing his arms and gritting his fangs.

"What is it? Where is the vigor I saw in you the day I first met you?" Pakkre barked, "Where has your inner fire disappeared to?"

"We're not here to immediately train," Quil said, holding up his hands, "We're here to learn some new techniques." Pakkre turned into a Cyndquil. In fact, he was, in long story short, Quil himself.

"Ah, to learn to control your fire," Pakkre said, grinning in Quil's form, "Now, what can I do for you?" Quil flared his back, then spoke.

"I can activate my back flames," Quil explained to his doppelganger, "But I can't use my Flamethrower technique. Do you know what's wrong?" Pakkre thought wisely, then shot a flare of fire from his mouth. Quil frowned at Pakkre's incompetence, before Pakkre described Quil's problem.

"It seems that you have not activated your anger." Pakkre then paused at Quil's dumbfound expression, and continued to speak. "Fire must have anger to burn. It is like having oxygen to breath, only every fire-type Pokemon has a fire in their lungs that does not affect their breathing. It absorbs the hate in your mind, and transfers it into gasoline. Try it." Quil tried thinking of an angry thought, but only one came: that Sniv was slated to be rectified. Every piece of that hate went into his mind, and breathing out, a blast of fire joined it.

"Excellent, pupil!" Pakkre said, clearly happy that Quil was able to complete his task at hand. "As you begin to fight more, the less thoughts you need to shoot your fire. It will be more natural to shoot your fire in time, so keep praticing with a fireplace, and you'll have it in no time."

Pakkre began teaching Quil how to use his arms as a weapon by slicing the air to gain momentum, then use that momentum to attack against grass and bug Pokemon. He referred to the technique as "Aerial Ace", since it was designated as a Flying-based move. Sniv was taught to absorb moisture from the air and channel it into his tail, referred to as "Aqua Tail". Sniv personally requested learning the technique to counter Fire Pokemon.

"There was another technique that I saw a Treecko use in Youlen Cave, that Sniv was very interested in," Quil explained, remembering Sniv's peculiar obstacle with following the move's trajectory. "It was a green sphere of some kind of energy. It was a powerful one, made a pretty big bang."

"Ah," Pakkre mused, "That technique would be referred to as..." A loud slam of the training room's doors drowned out Pakkre's last words, of there were any. Scyzor's panting echoed throughout the room, like a Growlithe with rabies. Finally, Scyzor spoke.

"Pakkre, get Team Smallspark in the simulation chamber," Scyzor said, recomposing himself, "Khanis is back in the area."

Quil was in a room that was filled with luminous tiles, loading holographic simulations for Pokemon to train with. This was mostly since Pakkre couldn't train hundreds of Pokemon at one time.

"So, what's the occasion?" Quil asked to Scyzor, who was standing behind a glass wall.

"Stay focused, Quil. You're going to need it." Scyzor was speaking in a harsh tone. One that Quil hadn't heard since the day they met. "The simulation you're about to face with Sniv is Khanis. He was one of Pokemon who willingly joined the Beholder's forces. Now, he has the highest level of access to the soldiers in the Beholder's army."

"Were you personal friends, or?..." Quil stopped his sentence dead, at the glare of Scyzor's suddenly bloodshot eyes. "You know what, never mind. Just load the simulation." Pakkre nodded, wincing as he pressed a glowing, bright yellow switch. Immediately, four Kabutops sprang out of oblivion, a menacing, yellowish tint to their slit eyes.

Every Pokemon in the room froze. A look of fear was plastered on their faces, watching as the four Kabutops, maniacal grins still glued on their bodies, dove in for the kill. Quil's instincts came to mind, inhaling a large breath and exhaling out his nose. Smoke covered the area, the Kabutops not used to smokescreens. Quil grabbed a Kabutops by the neck , throwing him into the glass wall that stood in front of Scyzor. Nodding, Sniv threw Quil into another of the remaining three of the Kabutops, using the momentum to use a Flamethrower. A crisped shell was all that remained of the simulation's thick hide.

Sniv fired off several Vine Whips at the other two Kabutops, but then paused. A glowing ball of emerald had formed in his hands. The technique that Pakkre was about to teach him.

"Sniv!" Quil shouted. His teeth were grit, his right paw reaching out in genuine worry, "Pakkre didn't finish teaching you that move! What are the side effects of an incomplete technique?!" Before a reply from Pakkre could be issued, a large, ear-splitting explosion filled the glass chamber. Sniv was stuck in a large crack in the chamber, the other two Kabutops on the ground, knocked out by the force of the explosion.

"You two did exceptionally well," Scyzor said, "But I do have several things to reprimand you both for several articles. Quil." Quil looked up from the smoking body of the Kabutops that he had smoldered. "Your fire is useful. But never use it at close range. Fire is meant for long range assaults, so use a Fire Punch if you are engaging in close combat. Also, never use a fire attack on a water-based Pokemon. They can put out the fire, and also put out your life. Just be sure to use explosive or status inflicting seeds when facing water types. Sniv." Sniv pushed himself out of the crack, then faced his superior. "You tried to use a technique that you had never even tried before. However, you pulled it off in an... er... unpredictable way."

"Either way, you two did something most Pokemon cannot. Defeating even a simulation of Khanis, let alone four, is a feat that even I have trouble doing. This is a major milestone in your training." Turning to Pakkre, he barked. "Pakkre, I expect these two to come to the simulation chambers every day, twice a day, and play over the same simulation. But use scenarios such as the major ports and a Mystery Dungeon. Do not fail me." Pakkre nodded in fright as Scyzor marched out. Nodding for Quil and Sniv to return to their quarters, Pakkre sighed in exasperation, and began practicing his Gallade form's combat stance.

"Something's up with Scyzor," Quil said, over the mumbled speech in the mess hall, "The way he reacted when I asked him if he and Khanis were personal friends... he looked pained. Almost like he would kill me right there."

"Well, working for the Beholder must have been a bad experience." Sniv attempted to reason with their mentor's erratic behavior, but Quil's rebuttal was dashed as Anon went equally as fast to their bench.

"Hey, guys," Anon cheerfully said, sparks flying out of his cheeks, "What's with the low faces? Didn't your mission with Scyzor go well? Oh, I bet it did. He never fails in his missions. What exactly happened?"

"Well..." Quil and Sniv grit their teeth, then Sniv spoke. "Apparently an old accomplice of Scyzor's arrived in town yesterday. He's putting us on the simulators until he's certain we can defeat him in seconds."

"That doesn't seem like the Scyzor we all know and love," Anon said, the sparks of excitement fading away, "He's had a rough past. Just give it some time and he'll loosen up. Don't worry."

Anon couldn't have been any more wrong. The better Quil and Sniv got at facing simulations, the harder Scyzor pressed. The simulation they had started with was on medium, which was above their rank's level. By the end of four day's time, the level Scyzor had them at was Extreme. Only Scyzor and his team, along with a few others, were allowed to use that setting. And Team Smallspark was one of those few others.

Quil groaned, cuts and bruises stained red the yellow and blue. "Come on, Scyzor," Quil croaked from the lack of hydration, "we've been over the same simulation five times in a day. I think we know what we're doing."

"I don't know what Khanis could have done that's affecting Scyzor this badly," Sniv said, whispering low enough that Scyzor couldn't hear the aside from the thick glass that stood between them, "But I know whatever it is, Scyzor wants revenge. Swiftly." Quil nodded and waved a paw for Scyzor to halt the simulation. Scyzor's bloodshot amber eyes widened in horror, as Quil activated the comlink, the prototype of the Special Ops program.

"Scyzor," Quil said, in a voice that sounded cleaner than the dirt covering the entire bodies of both him and Sniv, "We've done this more than enough times to detect the exact move that Khanis would have done."

"Fine," the Scizor growled in hate, "But if you can't complete this mission, then I'll do it myself." Quil's eyebrow shot up in fear of hitting Scyzor's emotional pressure point, walked out the simulation chamber towards their first major challenge. "I'll drag Khanis to this base and kill him myself! Without either of you!" And with that, the lift closed and shot upward.

* * *

A/N: Yeah, ran out of ideas. The idea is based off of the Scars saga from Tron: Uprising, but I added a little twist to it. Hope you enjoyed it nonetheless.

Next: Scyzor, learning of Quil and Sniv's failure to capture Khanis, knocks out the exhausted pair and goes after Khanis himself.


	11. Chapter 10: Pressured Success(Pt 2)

Chapter 10: Pressured Success (Part 2)

Quil's nose stuck through the lift, then was followed by his body as he strode into the rush hour of the Rebellion. Sniv quickly followed, not wanting to lose his partner in the torrent of larger and heavier Pokemon around him. They had this one chance to capture Khanis, with just a smokescreen and their wits. If they failed, Scyzor would make sure they were miserable in the simulations chamber. To add things to the problem list, if they failed, Khanis would strengthen his guard.

A voice, one all too familiar to the duo, rang out in the crowd. "Hey! Quil! Sniv!" Team Smallspark turned to see Anon rushing towards them, sweat pouring down his orange fur.

"Just got word from Intelligence," Anon panted, Quil and Sniv watching him catch his breath, "I'm supposed to accompany you on some sort of Recon assignment. What are we looking at today?" Quil and Sniv looked at each other in uncertainty, then turned to their temporary comrade.

"This isn't Recon," Sniv explained guiltily, "This is an assassination. Scyzor's old friend that we told you about?" Anon nodded in understanding. "Well, Scyzor wants us to take him out. He has unlimited access to the Beholder's forces, which makes it a problem for us. If Scyzor was coming with us, we'd be fine. Without him, we're horribly outmatched."

"Well, I guess that's why Intel chose me to help you." Anon cracked his knuckles, punching one fist into the other. "Let's get to the cliff hangar. I'm guessing Sicko's dying for a flight."

* * *

"What in Arceus' name?!..." As Quil and Sniv watched, the Pokemon capable of delivering supplies were having tattoos painted under their legs.

"Deck officer?!" Quil shouted, pointing at a random authority in the crowd of crates and soldiers. "Deck officer! What's going on here?!"

"Commodore Scyzor's orders," the stunned Wigglytuff crammed out, "Identity registration is becoming too much of an issue for pilots. Supply fleets are being recoded for easy memorization." Handing Quil a datapad, the Wigglytuff noticed a stack of weapons tumble down and rushed over to the fiasco.

"Seems that Sicko is being renamed," Anon muttered, "We've been reconned to Flight Group A7, and Sicko has no name now. He's been renamed as FCO-1709."

"Don't worry, we'll fix this," Quil growled, gritting his teeth, "When I see Scyzor next, I'll talk to him about it." Walking towards 1709, the group promised never to let Sicko be stripped of his name.

* * *

The view from the top of the wharf was astounding. The blue and the green of the sea mixed together, creating a light shade of turquoise. Mixing with the bright colors of the sky, the view, behind the cranes and cargo ships, was beautiful.

"So, let's look up Khanis' position." A holographic map sprung up between the three Rebels, tracking the position of every Beholder soldier in the city. Intel suggested the construction of a new military base as a joint function to other cities. And, according to even less trustworthy intelligence claimed that Khanis was supervising the construction.

"We only have one shot at this." Quil began inhaling massive amounts of air to form a smokescreen. "If we screw it up, Khanis will know Scyzor has a wanting. Let's go." Sniv stuck his hand into the bag and withdrew an olive green, oval shaped device. A pin rested in it's desired slot, ready to be pulled out at will. This was the major key to their plan.

"NOW!" Sniv's grenade flew through the air, making contact with and blowing up an outer girder.

"It's an assassin!" One of the Gurdurr soldiers shouted in the mix of grenade fumes and Quil's smokescreen. Partially correct, the Gurdurr screamed as he was dragged down into the smoke.

"Quil!" Sniv shouted, kicking two guards down, "Khanis isn't here. Intel was botched. Khanis left the facility a standard hour ago."

"WHAT?!" Quil roared, burning two more Gurdurr to the ground, "When did you learn about this?!" Sniv's wrist screen was thrust in front of Quil's face. The original intel was sent by Scyzor. The new intel said to wait until the next morning.

"Scyzor!" Quil growled, his back fire blazing to match his state of rage. "Sniv! Pop a grenade and let's get back to base! I have a little bone to pick with our boss.."

* * *

"I thought I told you two not to come back empty-handed." Scyzor didn't even have to turn around. Quil and Sniv glared at Scyzor from the entrance to his quarters. "Anon, it's good to see you too."

"Don't get fuzzy and warm with him, Scyzor." Quil bellowed, back flame bursting to new lengths, "We know you set us up. Fake intel?! It's gone that far?!"

"You don't understand."

"Don't understand?!" Quil turned, gasped and laughed at the same time, then returned to glaring at Scyzor. "I get it. You wanted us to fail. Khanis would then know the same trick we pulled. That way we'd have no other choice but to let you go after him yourself."

"You're a fast learner, Quil." Scyzor said, in a monotone voice. "I guess UpComm made the right choice for your Spec Ops post..."

"This isn't about the Spec Ops post." Quil muttered, "This is about you trying to practically kill us."

"Fine then." Scyzor walked up to Quil, a menacing red tint to his eyes. "If you won't go back, I'll do it myself." Quil's eyes popped in surprise, before a taser, from behind Scyzor's back, latched onto Quil and shocked him with 24,000 volts. Similar screams from Anon and Sniv followed.

The last thing Quil saw was Scyzor open the door, look back, and walk out and close door.

* * *

"Quil! Wake up!" Quil's eyes squinted open to see Anon and Sniv crouched over him.

"Welcome back to the living, man." Anon grabbed Quil's paw and pulled him up. Quil's head and body moved frantically around the room.

"Where's Scyzor?! Where did he go?!" Quil's back flame reared, racing out the door. Anon grabbed his shoulder.

"Quil," he solemnly murmured, "I placed a tracking device on him, before I passed out."

"Really?!" Quil's teeth were showing beind a large grin. "That's great! Where did he go?!"

"That's the problem." Anon's eyes drew to slits of black and white. "Quil, Scyzor removed the tracking device and destroyed it on the Flerris City border. He's going to kill Khanis."

* * *

Quil, Sniv and Anon, painted in black matte colors, crawled out of the Beholder Transportation Services vehicle. Night had fallen on Flerris City, bright lights illuminating the places where shadows usually would be. Quil, whose body was covered in silver stripes of paint on his black body, motioned for the others to follow Scyzor.

The Pincer Pokemon was standing on the roof of a large apartment building. Without turning, he beckoned the three to him.

"You three know me too well." Six words Quil never thought Scyzor would say for the rest of their lives. "I guess I should congratulate you."

"Scyzor, you don't have to do this." Quil reached a hand out. "Khanis has an intel drive chip that has passwords to every program in the Beholder's computers. You don't need to kill him. We can just take the drive and leave."

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill him." Scyzor's eyes were completely consumed by red, blood overpowering the natural yellow that Quil and Sniv knew so well. His rage was taking over his instincts.

"Think about it like this," Quil attempted to reason. "Remember how you said you wanted to leave behind everything you knew about the Beholder's ideals behind? If you go into those ruins, and murder him out of cold blood, you'll be just as evil and disturbing as him. You go right back to square one in the mental board game. I won't try to stop you Scyzor. Not now. The choice is yours. Be the hero you're revered to be, in mine and Sniv's eyes, or go down to Khanis' level."

Scyzor's furrowed eyebrows softened up a bit. Walking towards his comrades, the Scizor looked on the verge of change. Quil's frown turned into a smile.

Then, _it_ happened. Scyzor lept into the air, using his leg to smash Quil into a wall. Sniv charged at him, roaring a battle cry, but Scyzor grabbed the Snivy by the neck and tossed him into Anon. The surprise of another Pokemon landing on him caused Anon to discharge, shocking himself and Sniv into unconsciousness.

"Sorry, kids." And with that, Scyzor leapt into the darkness to do what he had come to do.

* * *

Khanis surveyed the progress on the facility repairs. Three Pokemon had come looking to kill him, and in the process had leveled the building to the ground. They were highly skilled, but at the same time too fresh to understand every Clause of Battlefield Strategy.

Just as he turned around, a large pincer grabbed him by the neck. A blood-red, sharp edged pincer gleamed in the darkness connected to the body of a Scizor.

"You..." Khanis growled. Just as soon as Scyzor had grabbed him, the Scizor let him go. A kick of metal on hard skin sent Khanis flying into a pile of charred crates. Scyzor reached to Khanis' side and cut a gaping slice into Khanis' chest. The beetle grabbed the chip from Khanis' uniform and stood.

"You're only alive for one reason." Scyzor's eyes, once camoflauging with his armor, were fading back to their natural yellow. "And my students are that reason. They taught me that if I killed you, right here, I'd go back to square one. I will never, _ever_, look the other way. You did that, and the murder of hundreds of innocent Pokemon are on your shoulders." Khanis looked up, one eye bleeding slightly, and a broken nose to join it in spewing green blood. "I won't kill you, because I never want to be you. Remember that."

And with that, a puff of smoke emitted from the ground, and when Khanis blinked, Scyzor was gone.

* * *

"It was never about capturing Khanis for interrogation. Was it?" Quil and Sniv lay on their cots, rubbing the stealth paint off of their bodies. A long shower had forced most of the paint off, and the rest was being rubbed off. Scyzor looked up from his mission screen and smiled for the first time in days.

"No. We both know what my main objective was." Scyzor stood up, walked over to their cots, and rubbed Quil and Sniv on their heads. "But you two and Anon showed me the right path. Not revenge. And for that, I owe you thanks. And an apology, for all those times I put your lives at stake."

"So, off of the Khanis subject, what's going on the rest of the week?" Quil pulled up a hologram, staring at the news bulletin. "Let's see... Air Forces stripped of designation numbers, given back former identities.. that means Sicko gets to be Sicko... and Choosing Day is in two days. Guess the crazy levels of training sped time up."

"That means you two should look closely at training seminars. You need to make a good choice. But I'm sure you will." And with that, Scyzor left the room, leaving Quil and Sniv with a lot to think about.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the delay, guys. Had a long time of exams and baseball training. Hope you're enjoying the story so far.

Next time: Choosing Day comes, leaving Quil and Sniv to ponder who will join their team. Meanwhile, Scyzor has a surprise for the growing Team Smallspark.


	12. Chapter 11: Choosing Day

Chapter 11: Choosing Day

Though the threat of Khanis was over many hours ago, Quil and Sniv worked harder than before to level the distance between them and Team Spearhead. Even training with Pakkre alone wasn't enough for them. The two were so intent on training that Quil and Sniv decided to partake in training sessions with Cadet Squadron Domino. This allowed Quil and Sniv to also observe the skills of the members of the Cadet Squad.

"These guys are all really good," Sniv muttered to Quil, removing his sparring helmet, keeping his eye on Anon, who was battling Pakkre's Gengar form. Anon's Brick Break and Iron Tail techniques were ineffective against the Ghost and Poison type, which left him with no choice but to use voltage to his advantage. Covering his fist in an electrical charge, Anon's fist made contact, slamming Pakkre into the wall.

Team Smallspark had their eye on Anon since day one, and the Raichu was the top candidate for their team roster on Choosing Day. The bad news was, many other teams, including Team Spearhead themselves, were also considering Anon for membership.

"Well, back to practice," Quil muttered, pulling his sparring helmet back on and unleashing a ball of fire at Sniv.

* * *

"I don't get it." Quil and Sniv sat in the bar, handed their drinks by Herc. Sniv took a drink "How do we pick out at least one Pokemon out of twenty Cadet Pokemon? Anon's our top candidate, and most elite teams want him to be a Junior Grade for their groups."

"Choosing Day is coming soon," Anon told his Mudkip friend, "Whose team are you hoping chooses you?"

"Honestly, I don't care who takes me into their team," the Mudkip noted, "Just a good team that has a good family-like status." Quil and Sniv turned around and started talking again.

"Do you know what her name is?" Quil asked.

"Her name is Derj," Sniv muttered, taking a sip of his drink. "Records claim that she was abandoned by her parents, who were Rebellion members themselves. They were revealed as traitors and killed by Team Spearhead."

"In that case, I don't think that she'd trust us, since we're that close to Scyzor's Independence Team." Quil sighed and slammed his head into the bar.

* * *

"Sorry, kids," Hawkeye sympathized, glaring at Team Smallspark with the generic grin on his demeaning face. "All Independence facilities are closed for the rest of the Cycle. Choosing day is important enough that teams are required to take a one-week shakedown." Team Smallspark groaned in agony, walking out of the storage deposit. They had come all the way to the Independence facilities area, all for nothing. And it would be a long time before they could fit in an elevator, only because the rush hour had started. Their only option was the stairs.

"Can this day get any worse?" Sniv muttered, pushing the door to Team Spearhead's room with a sweat- covered hand, "Anon's pretty much Spearhead's for the taking."

"Well, that all depends on the order of Teams that are able to bring in cadets." Quil's holographic screen, on the edge of the cot, sprung to life, giving a list, in order of Choosing.

"Look!" Quil squeaked, Sniv crawling over to join him, "We're at the top of the list! Not the first Team to choose, but we're near that."

"What was the latest Team to form?" Sniv asked, pulling up the most recent news Bulletin, "Looks like Team Firefek is the most recent Independence Team to join the Orange Division as of the last three days."

"What are you two talking about?" Slash punched open the door and collapsed on his bed. Scyzor, Quil guessed, was busy preparing for the next mission.

"Choosing Day," Sniv blushed innocently, shutting down the hologram. "Looking for candidates to pick for Team Smallspark." At the end of this comment came a hearty laugh from Slash.

"Oh, man, you guys really need to study more," Slash chortled under the drowning noise of laughter, "The candidates are allowed to choose a team, and the team leader can veto or agree to membership."

Quil and Sniv glanced at each other, then fell sound asleep standing, plopping on the floor and snoring loudly.

* * *

A loud bell clanged as the candidates of every team lined up. Three thousand cadets were filed, by alphabetical name, in the cleared-out mess hall. The leader of the Orange Division, a burly Heracross, stepped out onto a podium and spoke into the amplifiers.

"In the name of the Rebellion, let Choosing Day begin!" Aloud, unified clapping, came from the hands of every Pokemon who had hands. Sniv looked at the Heracross, then gasped.

"I know him!" Sniv muttered. Quil, who was clapping, turned to Sniv and snorted loudly.

"Of course we know him," Quil laughed, "He's the leader of the entire Orange Division."

"No, not like that," Sniv explained, irratated with Quil's comebacks, "He's the guy who showed me that cave we met in. Do you think that he... I don't know how to say this... predicted it? That we would join the Rebellion, and take on the extra burden?"

"What?! No way." Quil and Sniv sat down, as with the rest of the teams, "Heracross have no psychic abilities. They're easy to burn as a Beedrill." Quil thought over what he said and spoke, "Don't tell him I said that." A loud spotlight filled the room, zoning in on Heracross as he picked up a paper and spoke.

"Fifty Lunar Years ago, the Rebellion's founders met in this place. Once a cavern created by natural erosion, the combined forces of our many connections have turned this humble abode into an underground metropolis. Now, as our ranks decrease, we call upon the fresh and fit, to fight by our side in the most dire of situations. Each candidate has made a list of their top three choices for membership. I will list the first cadets to bring their options to the table." A list of the first cadets to make their appearance flashed, magnified by Metang's Psychic ability. Alphabetic order was important in an armed Rebellion, and as such, Anon was on the list of the first hundred.

"First on the list, we are receiving the list from Aero, from Cadet Squadron Atmos." Aero stepped out and Heracross began the listings.

Quil groaned and sank into his seat, while Sniv kept his calm and filed out the paperwork for a project: One that involved experimental uniforms. Several minutes passed before Sniv jabbed Quil in the side, to see Anon stand at the podium.

"Anon of Cadet Squadron Domino," Heracross bellowed through the amplifiers, "Your first choice is Team Smallspark, Bronze rank Independence Team. Is this correct?"

"Yes, sir." Anon stood at what many would refer to as parade rest: legs at shoulder-width, hands clasped behind his back. "Team Smallspark is my first and only choice." Quil and Sniv gaped in shock. Instead of choosing a high-profile team, the most powerful member of a Cadet Squad chose a run-of-the-mill Independence Team.

"Team Smallspark, Anon has requested to join your ranks," Heracross shouted, gesturing mentally for the two to stand up. "Will you accept this request, or veto the Cadet?" Quil and Sniv looked at each other, locked into each other's eyes. This was a hard decision, but an easy one at the same time. After a minute-long silence that seemed like hours, they nodded and turned to face the lines of cadets.

"It would be a distinct honor to accept Anon as a team member, sir," Quil crisply replied. A loud clapping filled the mess hall as Anon dove off the podium, along with the other hundred former Cadets.

"That concludes Choosing Day One," Heracross spoke. "All teams that have not selected a Cadet are mandatorily asked to attend. It is optional for those that have taken a Cadet to attend, but it is not required."

* * *

"I can't believe it, man!" Anon said sitting on the cots in Scyzor's room, "I'm actually part of an Independence Team! It's been a dream to become a member of a Team! So, what's our first mission?" Anon's glossy, brown eyes glared into the red of Sniv's, observing the Snivy as he licked the brown fur of his paws.

"Actually, unless they end Choosing Day early, we have one week to do whatever we like," Quil said, looking up missions in the database, "But, to be a good Independence Team, we need to pick out a mission early. Anon, come over here and help me." Anon complied and strolled over to the bulletin board, where several missions were strewn across it.

"Oh, dear Arceus," Anon griped, looking at the missions in front of him, "These missions are difficult. The lowest mission I could find is a three-star. These Pokemon are crazy!" Quil looked at him, who was without a jacket like Quil and Sniv, only wearing a black shirt and jeans.

"I think you forgot that Team Spearhead is an almost Lucario Rank Team," Sniv said, who was trying to fall asleep, "We're only a Bronze Rank. It'll take some time before we're allowed to take on these kinds of missions. Even permited to go near them is a huge responsibility."

"Check," Anon muttered, throwing the papers down on the table, "So, what now? Scyzor told us to stay here, and his database only has missions we're too inexperienced to do."

A loud knock on the door snapped the fledgling team out of their friendly feud. Quil opened the door, to see an Espeon standing at the hole into rush hour. The traffic had left her hair ruffled, her eyes were shaking in every possible direction. Her tail, seperated into two at the end, was swishing about crazily from the lack of disorientation.

"Um... hi? Can we.. er... help you?" Quil asked, trying to sound as polite as possible. The Espeon walked in, and laid down on the floor.

"Can I borrow a brush?" She asked elegantly, shaking to get cleaner than she already was. Quil brought her Anon's brush, telling her she might want to clean it before using it.

"Anon has licking tendencies." He explained. The Espeon thanked him, strolling off to clean it, before returning several minutes later, looking much happier from being rid of the disheveled clumps of fur.

"Yeah, so... who are you?" Anon asked, taking back his brush. The Espson walked over to the cot and jumped onto it.

"You are, I presume, Team Smallspark?" The Espeon asked.

Quil looked at his teammates and replied, "Yeah, the one and only. Who are you?" The Espeon waved her paw, mesmerized by the swinging motion. Quil shot a blast of fire at the ceiling to return her to reality.

"Oh, sorry," she said, embarrassed by the scene, "You know me. I tested you for the Dimensional Scream."

"Sylvia!" Quil said in exuberance, "Been a while, hasn't it?"

"Too long, my friends," Sylvia replied, using her telekinesis to lift a berry to her mouth. "Let's cut to the chase, shall we? I have been sent by Scyzor to request membership on your team."

"Wow, we're getting popular," Sniv joked, "But can yours truly ask a question or two?"

"You just did."

"Besides that one." Sniv growled, holding up documents, "First, did you want to join our team without Scyzor's influence? Second, why would you want to join the new kids on the block?"

"In response to your first question, yes. I did want to join your team. Scyzor only wanted me to do it after Choosing Day One." The small Pokemon looked at each other in agreement. Quil nodded and turned to Sylvia.

"We'll need some time to think about it," Quil said, holding out a badge, "But until then, we'll find you a team to call ho-" Before he could finish his sentence, klaxons blared, red filling in the blue of the spirit torches. Quil stared at the alarms, baring from the speakers behind the torches.

"Here," Quil said, throwing Anon a brown fire-proof vest. "Put this on. Sylvia, stay here. All of the teams are headed towards the hangar. Guess that's where we'll find answers."

* * *

A/N: Long time no see, guys. Took some time to draft the most recent chapters. Hoping to catch up for a while.

Next: Quil, Sniv and Anon learn of the objective of the red alert, then take Sicko to investigate ahead.


End file.
